The gates of the Thorne estate creaked open, swallowing the car whole. The mansion stood ahead like a ghost from a different life, one she was too tired to keep reliving.
The car pulled to a stop under the grand archway. Heather stepped out before the driver even opened the door. She didn't wait for Caius.
The front doors opened. Adonis stood in the foyer, arms crossed, dressed in black slacks and an open-collared shirt. As if he hadn't moved since they left.
He looked at her first, then the blood on her hands.
"Do I want to know?" he said dryly.
Heather rolled her eyes. She didn't break stride.
Adonis followed her with his gaze. "Heather," he called after her, "your hands are bloody."
Caius stepped in behind her and answered for her. "She hurt herself."
Adonis raised an eyebrow. "Of course she did."
He didn't press further. He just stared, eyes cold and readable, as if wishing neither of them had returned.
