“You’re not going alone,” Raven said, gripping the back of a chair like it was the only thing keeping her upright.

“I wasn’t planning to,” Jaxon replied, buttoning his black shirt with deliberate calm. The top few buttons remained undone, revealing the edge of a tattoo that curled like smoke along his collarbone, a mark she’d only seen glimpses of before. “But you’re not walking in there like prey either.”

He crossed to the wardrobe, pulling out a sleek black dress. ...