As soon as Cassel finished taking the last item out of his spatial storage, the faint shimmer of light fading from the air, he turned and walked straight toward me.
There was no hesitation in his steps. No room for escape.
He stopped so close that I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. Those dark eyes—always too sharp, too calm, too dangerous—locked onto mine with unsettling precision.
"Do you feel disappointed?" he asked.
The question struck me like a blade pressed against bare skin.
"W–What?" My voice wavered despite my attempt to sound casual. "Disappointed? I'm just sleepy. I want to sleep. G–Good night."
I turned on my heel.
I fled.
That was all I wanted—to escape. Right now. Immediately.
I needed distance, air, clarity.
I needed to run before he peeled back thoughts I was desperately trying to bury.
But clearly, the idiot villain behind me had no intention of letting me run.
A firm hand closed around my wrist.
