As I nudged the handles into my palms so my fingers wouldn't have to touch anything, I kicked open the double doors just as the hallway door opened. Another man stood there, charging the entire dining room with a sweep of his gaze. When he pinned me under it, I froze. One blue eye held mine. His other one was several shades lighter, like wispy clouds laced over the sky. Above it, a deep scar cut down his eyebrow and his cheek to his jaw.

"Smells good in here," he said and ...