IVY'S POV
He scoffed softly before finally speaking, his voice returning to that coldness I recognized so well. "I won't risk sending you back to that man again, Ivy."
Again?
My brows furrowed instantly at the choice of words.
What the hell did he mean by again?
Before I could question him further, Nicholas finally turned toward me fully, and what happened next caught me completely off guard.
"Just let me handle it, Ivy," he said quietly. "Trust me."
The softness in his voice felt unnatural coming from him, almost dangerous in its own strange way. It unsettled me more than his anger ever did. Nicholas Vault was not supposed to sound gentle. He was supposed to threaten, command, terrify. Yet lately these small moments kept slipping through the cracks of whatever mask he constantly wore around everyone else.
