GRAYSON DID NOT COME OUT of the shower until after Soren finished his examination.
Soren packed his bag in silence, his movements efficient.
"You'll be sore," he said quietly to Mailah. "You'll heal. Slowly. Don't let him forget that part."
Mailah managed a tired nod. "I won't."
Soren's gaze flicked toward Grayson, who remained just outside her line of sight.
"You should learn restraint," Soren added, his voice polite but edged with warning. "Humans don't break the way your kind does."
Grayson did not respond. The silence that followed felt deliberate.
Once Soren left, the room grew strangely quiet. The weight of what had happened settled into the corners of the space. Mailah pushed herself upright, wincing as her body protested, and found Grayson standing near the window, already dressed, his posture rigid as if he'd been carved there.
"I've arranged transport," he said without turning. "We're leaving the estate."
Mailah blinked. "Leaving… where?"
