54. Twice Burned

“I swear to you,” I breathe, voice hoarse, throat aching, “that’s all there was.”

Hale’s hands don’t move.

They’re still clamped around my arms like iron shackles. I feel his pulse through his grip, wild and erratic. His chest rises in uneven bursts. The veins in his neck are stark beneath his skin.

He stares down at me like he’s deciding whether to throw me through the wall or finish what he started in the basement.

I’ve seen Hale angry before.

But this is something else.

His fury has sharpened into something violent—but the kind of violence that pierces the air before it is shown. Him, tearing the room apart was nothing but child’s play.

This—whatever is brewing now, was lethal. I could feel it in my bones, deep, and grating.

He’s like a predator who’s already decided to kill and is just choosing how.

I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath until my lungs ache. My hands twitch at my sides. My heart slams against my ribs like it’s trying to escape.

For the first time since this al