Content Warning: Graphic violence and mature themes. Reader discretion advised.
“Why are you here?!” Harper snapped, her voice sharp enough to slice through the cave’s heavy silence. Her irritation burned brighter than the torchlight, every word edged with defiance.
Ashcroft’s smirk only widened as he stepped closer, his tall frame cloaked in shadow. The flicker of firelight caught the sharp angles of his face, his eyes gleaming with that maddening mixture of arrogance and intrigue.
”Why?” His tone was a taunt, smooth and deliberate. “Because I said we need to talk, and apparently…” His gaze dipped briefly to Ethan, still bound and writhing in pain. “…you’d rather avoid me and go play with your little ‘boy toy’ instead.”
Harper’s jaw locked, her fingers curling tight around her shurike
