om. The sound of his leather dress shoes on

ace crumpling into a mask of victimh

trembling finger at Eleonore. "And when I confron

glance-cold, final, absolute. She recoiled, her lips pressing shut despite her ob

amrod straight. She watched the pathet

r. His gaze, cold and sharp, cut straight

but the coldness in his eyes was something new, somet

poke, but his voice carried to

ferred t

ufactured sobs died in her thro

outh agape. "You... wh

e low and menacing. He glanced at his stepmother with

off his arm as if it w

e directly to

ant to retreat, a primal instinct to flee

ing flickered across her face. Hope, perhaps.

ressed directly against the raw scrape she had gotten earlier that day at the office

efore she could stop it. She b

notice. Or if he d

oice a low, vicious snarl, "

. Turned to ash. So he didn't believe her after all. He

. "What's wrong, Avon? Worried your l

e like gasoli

up to grip her chin, forcing her head

hissed, his face inches from hers. "Don't you

ears, but she refused to let them fall. She bit down harder on

. A war was raging inside him, visible in the frantic pulse at

ing a hand through his perfec

The rage had settled into something colder, more dangerous. "Fr