A Smile Beneath the Blade
Naturally, it's the assassins under the protagonist!
Out of nowhere, it hit Julian D'Aurelius - sharp, sudden, like ice down his back.
A slight move came without thinking, body edging sideways across the slick couch surface, creating just a breath of space from the person at his side. From somewhere below, sound pulsed up through the ground, deep notes rattling windows and ribs, yet inside his head, blood hammered harder than any beat.
At first, his idea was just to stay quiet.
He did not turn away. Right there, inside the tiger's territory, he sat down close beside it.
"What's wrong, Young Master Julian? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"
Lina Ashford spoke soft, yet each word carried weight beneath its calm surface.
