The door was still trembling from its last click when silence stretched across the chamber.

Anthea froze only for a heartbeat. She had been halfway through turning the handle when his voice cut through ... sharp, cold, carrying the weight of a threat.

“Stay away from her.”

She turned slowly, smoothing the edges of her cloak, her every movement practiced. The fur brushed against the floor as she faced him.

Kieran stood framed in the doorway, the firelight behind him throwing long shadows ...