Every eyebrow in the room went up simultaneously. Hale took a half step back like he was clearing the blast radius.
Dex ignored all of them.
Serena had her face buried in her hands.
She didn't hug him back. But she didn't push him away either.
He could feel her calm, even if she didn't want to be because of him. He calmed her.
"Send her in," Elara announced, breaking the tension.
Garrett slipped past them without another word.
Elara yanked Serena out of Dex's arms and shot Dex a look sharp enough to draw blood.
Dex blinked once. Apparently, he'd need to apologize to her too now. Fantastic. Add it to the list.
A moment later, Agnes walked in. Her eyes flicked immediately to Hale. Then Dex. Then Elara.
Her mouth tightened. She did not look pleased.
She opened her mouth.
Hale beat her to it.
"What," he snarled, stepping forward. "You thought you'd be alone with either of them?"
