Chapter 10 · Tipping the Scales

"You’re playing a dangerous game, Vesper. Even for a stray hound."

Kael’s voice was a low vibration right against my ear. He didn’t just walk into the room; he invaded my space, pinning me between the edge of his mahogany desk and the cold glass of the floor-to-ceiling window. I could smell him—expensive sandalwood and something metallic, like ozone before a storm.

I didn’t flinch. I leaned back, my shoulder blades hitting the glass, and looked him dead in the eye. "I’m not playing. I’m delivering. You wanted the encrypted drive from the east sector. Here it is."

I slid the drive across the polished wood, but Kael didn’t even look at it. Instead, his hand shot out, fingers locking around my wrist. Not enough to bruise, but enough to let me know he could snap me if he wanted to. The heat from his palm seeped through my skin, a sharp contrast to the air-conditioned chill of the office.

"The drive is a bonus," Kael murmured, stepping closer. His chest was inches from mine. I could feel the steady, arrogant thrum of his heart.