CASSIAN
I was in the middle of a conversation with a politician whose name I'd already forgotten when I felt it.
The shift.
That instinctive awareness that something in my territory had been disturbed.
My gaze swept across the rooftop, automatic, assessing...
And landed on him.
Hendrix.
Sitting next to Noah.
Too close.
His hand on Noah's arm.
The politician was still talking... something about zoning regulations, tax incentives... but the words became white noise.
All I could see was Hendrix's hand.
On Noah's skin.
Touching what was mine.
The conversation around me continued, oblivious.
Someone laughed.
Someone clinked glasses.
And I watched Alexander Hendrix lean closer to Noah, whispering something that made Noah's face change... surprise, then something darker. Confusion. Maybe fear.
My jaw clenched so hard I felt my teeth grind.
"Mr. Wolfe?"
The politician's voice cut through the red haze.
I turned to him slowly, forcing my expression into something neutral.
