MARCO CLEARED HIS THROAT.
"I… can explain."
"Then explain," Grayson said, his voice carrying that edge.
Marco's smile had vanished entirely. He glanced past them again—not nervously, but with the careful assessment of someone checking for witnesses. Then he sighed, stepping back from the doorway.
"Come in," he said quietly. "But please—leave the cat outside."
Shadow hissed, deeply offended.
"She stays," Mailah said firmly, surprised by her own conviction. "She brought us here for a reason."
Marco's expression flickered with something—respect, maybe, or resignation. "Very well. But quickly. My wife will be back from market soon, and she... cannot know about this."
They followed him inside, Shadow padding between them like a small, furry sentinel. The house was warm, filled with the scent of bread and herbs, utterly normal except for the tension crackling in the air.
