Elisabeth's POV
"Rex, what exactly do you think you're doing?" My mother's sharp voice sliced through the suffocating silence that had descended after Uncle Rex's unexpected arrival. My mind was spinning, desperately trying to make sense of what I was seeing.
My father should have been halfway across the world, handling some urgent medical consultation. Instead, he sat bound and beaten before us.
Uncle Rex shouldn't be here at all.
And the way he was staring at me sent ice through my veins.
"I can see those thoughts racing through that clever mind of yours, Little Fawn," Rex said, his voice carrying a smoothness that felt wrong somehow. "Since you've proven yourself to be reasonably decent company, I'll grant you the courtesy of some answers."
I stared at him, blinking in confusion. Something fundamental had shifted in his tone, in his entire demeanor. It was as though I was hearing his real voice for the first time.
