Chapter Twenty-Three: A Whisper Cut Short

The shopkeeper's expression darkened. His eyes flicked to the door, to the shadows outside, as if sensing something Elena couldn't.

"You don't want to know," he repeated, but this time, his voice was more strained.

Elena's fingers tightened around the edge of the counter. She couldn't back down now.

"This name," she insisted, her voice low but firm. "R. V. Holloway. Who were they? What did they have to do with—"

A gust of cold air swept through the shop as the door slammed open.

Elena's breath caught.

Leon stood in the doorway, the mist from outside swirling around his feet like an omen.

The shopkeeper went rigid. His knuckles turned white against the counter.

Leon's gaze was unreadable, but Elena could see the faintest hint of danger beneath the surface.

Elena instinctively stepped back.

"I see you've been asking questions," Leon murmured, his voice too calm. Too controlled.

The shopkeeper's lips parted, but whatever he was about to say—he thought better of it.

Leon took a slow step forward, the shop's dim lighting casting sharp shadows over his face. His attention shifted to Elena.

"This isn't a good place for you." His voice was softer now, but no less dangerous.

Elena's heart pounded. He was trying to stop her from learning the truth.

She swallowed hard, glancing at the shopkeeper. His mouth was set in a tight line, his eyes darting between them.

Leon must have sensed it too because his next words came with a quiet warning.

"Leave."

The shopkeeper hesitated only a second before he nodded and disappeared into the back room.

Coward.

Elena clenched her fists. She turned back to Leon, forcing herself to stand her ground.

He wasn't going to scare her off.

Not this time.

A Test of Wills

Leon studied her in silence.

She was angry. He could see it in the fire behind her eyes. The way her breath hitched but her posture didn't waver.

Defiance.

It stirred something in him—something dangerous.

"You're wasting your time," he said finally.

Elena's jaw tightened. "Then why are you so desperate to stop me?"

Leon exhaled, slow and measured. "Because I know where this road leads."

Elena took a step closer. Reckless.

"Then tell me," she challenged. "Tell me why you don't want me to know about Holloway."

A flicker of something passed through Leon's gaze—too brief to catch.

Then, before she could react, he reached for her wrist.

Not harshly. Not to hurt.

But enough to make her pulse jump.

Enough to make her stop.

"I'm trying to keep you alive," he said quietly.

Elena froze.

His grip was cold.

His words, even colder.

But something in the way he said them—it didn't sound like a threat.

It sounded like a warning.

And for the first time, she wondered if she was in deeper than she realized.