Betrayed by Blood
Cain sat at his desk, the quiet rustling of papers and the scratch of his pen the only sounds in the room. The morning had just begun, and he already couldn't shake the memory of Avery's gaze from his mind.
The way she had looked at him when he told her to stay. The way her breath hitched. The way her warmth had seeped into him as she finally relaxed against him.
It unsettled him.
The door creaked open.
Cain didn't bother looking up. "Lydia," he said, his tone indifferent as he continued writing. "If it's about the reports, leave them on the table. I'll get to them when I have the chance, but I want to know where the update is on the Northern Ridge."
Silence.
Cain's jaw ticked. He glanced up, expecting Lydia's usual reply—
But it wasn't Lydia.