Chapter 45 Show Down

• Bianca
• I had frozen in place when I saw Liam O’Grady at the door. His shirt unbuttoned to the middle of his chest, I could see the thick, curling hairs on his hirsute chest, and make out the sinister-looking tattoo on his neck that snaked down to his arm, till his wrist.
• His balled-up fists, the tightness of his jaw, the white lines from his nose to his mouth scared me more than I had ever thought possible and I shrank into St Just’s arms, wishing I was clothed. St Just’s tightened his arms around me and I made out from the gesture that he was trying to make me feel calm. But I was trembling.