Kade's jaw clenched like forged steel, the mate-warmth in his veins icing over as he rose fluidly from the bed, one hand lingering protectively on Dakota's shoulder to steady her faint stir, her hazel eyes cracking open with weary curiosity amid the sweat-damp tangle of sheets.
Kade was wearing only his briefs and this scene was a rare thing for Marcus.
"Show me," he commanded, voice a lethal murmur, taking the folder as Marcus extended it; his gaze raked the reports in seconds, chemical signatures, delivery vectors, access logs, cold fury crystallizing at the proof of betrayal's intimacy: whoever orchestrated the powder knew her private routines, her chambers' vulnerabilities, a serpent coiled within Nightshade's heart.
"That narrows it sharply," Kade murmured, snapping the folder shut with finality, his molten stare flicking back to Dakota, weak still, body lax and glistening from their union, watching him with quiet intensity that tugged at the bond.
