Ember Frost’s POV

Malachar's smile vanished. My stomach tightened.

For a moment, he simply stood there, his expression blank as if every trace of amusement had been stripped away. His jaw tightened briefly before settling again, and an uneasy silence stretched between us.

I couldn't look away from him.

Neither could he.

His eyes remained fixed on mine, steady enough to make my pulse stumble.

A shiver slid down my spine.

The stare wasn't angry. If anything, that was what unsettled me ...