Chapter 14 · The Forbidden Soothe

"Get your hands off me!"

I snarled, slamming my shoulder back against the mahogany wall.

Cain didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. He just stepped closer, his chest nearly brushing mine, pinning me in place with nothing but his sheer presence. The smell of him—expensive cedar, cold rain, and something metallic, like a blade held too close to the skin—filled my lungs.

"You're shaking, Ivy," he murmured. His voice was a low vibration I felt in my marrow. "Is it fear? Or are you finally realizing everything you knew about your mother was a lie?"

"I hate you," I spat. My breath came in shallow, jagged hitches. "I hate every single thing about you. You killed her. Your office signed the warrant."

Cain’s hand shot up. His fingers locked around my jaw—not hard enough to bruise, but firm enough to force me to look him dead in the eye. His palm was hot, a stark contrast to the chill of the wall at my back.

"I signed a lot of warrants," he said. His gaze dropped to my lips for a heartbeat. "But I don't kill people for no reason. Your mother wasn't a criminal, Ivy. She was a keeper.