"WHO DO I TRUST?" Mailah whispered, the question escaping before she could stop it.
Lucson's gaze darkened. He leaned down, his face inches from hers, his eyes glowing with an intensity that made her knees weak. "You trust the man who is standing here, Mailah. Grayson isn't here to claim you. For now. But I am."
It was a subtle, predatory move, and for a heartbeat, Mailah felt her resolve waver. The doubt flickered in her chest—was Grayson's 'respect' actually just a lack of commitment? Had he left her vulnerable on purpose?
"Don't listen to him, darling," Carson chimed in from the other side, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. "Lucson is all about 'protection' because he wants to be the one to eventually take a bite. I'm just here for the chaos. And right now? The chaos is the only thing that's honest."
He pushed open the heavy steel doors, and the cold Basel night air rushed in, snapping Mailah out of her daze.
