Scarlett’s POV

“I see that you and Alaric have been getting along pretty well,” he says.

The words are simple enough, but there is something beneath them. An edge. A shadow. A knowledge I can’t decipher.

My throat tightens. I force a small laugh. “We’ve only spoken a few times.”

His gaze doesn’t soften. “Mm.”

He steps closer. Another step. Another. The kind of steps that make the air shrink.

“Killian?” My voice comes out thinner than I intend.

He doesn’t verbally ...