Lyra's POV
Kaelen's muscles tensed, his jaw forming a hard line. The quiet stretched between us like a taut wire, more threatening than any words he could have spoken. He approached the bars with measured steps, each boot strike against concrete deliberate and ominous. The cage door shrieked as he unlocked it, metal protesting like it knew what was coming. Yet I remained motionless, observing him eliminate the distance with that controlled rage that seemed carved into his very bones.
The moment he crossed the threshold, everything shifted. The cell contracted around us. Each breath became precious, as if we were sharing the same limited air supply. His storm-gray eyes captured mine, searching for some reason to resist the dark impulse he'd voiced.
"What convinces you I won't follow through?" His tone dropped to barely above a whisper, yet somehow became more cutting. Like steel being slowly unsheathed.
I angled my head slightly. "I simply know."
