Mike stared at her, the implications settling in his mind like lead. In their world, 'good' wasn't a compliment; it was a verdict.
"He's decided something about me," Mike stated, his voice dropping an octave.
"He decided it a long time ago," Aveline countered smoothly, turning her attention to the window where the morning light played across the garden below. "He just finally confirmed it for himself."
She watched the swaying branches of the trees with a detached fascination. "That's how Tyler works."
"He forms a conclusion, builds a theory in his head, and then he spends weeks, sometimes months, testing it against every variable he can find before he ever dares to state it out loud."
Mike's grip tightened slightly on the warm ceramic of his cup. The testing phase was over.
The data had been collected. The predator had assessed the new alpha in the territory.
"And the test passed," Mike said.
"Apparently," she said, her words final and absolute.
