'No.'
'Absolutely not.'
'I'm not answering that.'
'I don't care if the building is on fire. I don't care if the Sanctuary Authority is here to arrest me. I don't care if Marcus himself is standing outside with a formal summons.'
'I am NOT opening that door.'
The doorbell rang again. Three sharp, insistent chimes that echoed through his small apartment like a death knell.
'Go away. Please. For the love of all that is holy, GO. AWAY.'
Knock knock knock.
Aggressive knocking. The kind that meant whoever was outside wasn't leaving anytime soon. The kind that suggested determination, annoyance, and zero intention of giving up.
"KAI!" A female voice. High-pitched. Annoyed. Carrying the particular edge of someone whose patience had already worn completely through. "I KNOW you're in there! I can hear you breathing through the door!"
'That voice…'
Zeph's blood went from warm to ice-cold in an instant, recognition hitting him like a physical blow.
'Oh no.'
'Oh fuck no.'
'Not HER.'
