Noah POV

James gets his breath back in increments, and I watch each one from across the room.

He's propped against the wall with his jaw already swelling on the left side, blood on his lower lip, and I've been standing here long enough to mark the moment his eyes stopped tracking the ceiling and started tracking me. He blinks. The lights are on again behind his eyes.

The decision arrives on his face before his body follows it—fast and uncomplicated—and then he ...