Armand leaned back, eyes narrowing as he considered. "I don't know. If she truly likes you, maybe not… but if she's just a trap, someone testing us, then we're in deep shit. And I mean deep shit."
Alaric's fists clenched, his knuckles white. "I—I can't let anything happen. I don't care how smart she is… I can't let this spiral out of control."
Armand's gaze sharpened, his tone edged with authority. "Then you stay vigilant. You control yourself, you control your instincts, and you don't give her or anyone a reason to use this against us. Do you understand?"
Alaric's chest tightened as he nodded, though his mind was still spinning. The worst part… the part that kept gnawing at him… was that she didn't even look like she felt any pain. How did that happen? How could someone make this feel like pleasure instead of agony?
