Kieran’s POV

I know the moment Killian decides I’m a problem. It isn’t dramatic. There’s no flare of power, no raised voice, and no sudden violence. Killian doesn’t work that way—not when he’s thinking.

It’s in the pause.

The half-second is too long before he answers a question. The way his eyes linger on my hands when I flex them, testing strength that should not yet be there. The careful recalibration of distance between us when he stands near my bed, like he’s measuring ...