Chapter 20 · Whispers from the Deep

"Step back from the ledge, Ivy. Now."

Silas’s voice didn't shout. It didn't have to. It was that low, vibrating rumble that hit me right in the chest, the kind of tone that told me he was one second away from losing his patience.

I didn't move. I was pressed against the damp stone wall of the lower vaults, my fingers brushing the cold, slime-slicked edge of the sunken cistern. The water below was a black pit, smelling of old copper and something ancient.

"You told me the basement was off-limits," I snapped, my voice echoing too loudly in the narrow corridor. "You didn't say I’d be executed for taking a walk."

"I said off-limits because the floor doesn't like guests," Silas said. He was moving toward me, his boots clicking rhythmically on the stone. He wasn't running, but he was closing the gap fast. The air around him felt heavy, charged with that oppressive Alpha energy that made my skin prickle. "And you're not a guest. You're a contract. Do you want to find out what happens when a contract breaks?"

I turned, my back hitting the wall, and glared up at him. He was too close.