Chapter 14 Vulnerability Unlocked

• "You are bleeding on the rug, Aurelia," Thaddeus says, his voice dropping into a sharp, low register as he catches her wrist before she can walk past him toward the kitchen.
• Aurelia looks down, noticing for the first time the thin line of red smudged across her ankle from a stray piece of glass near the balcony doors. She lets out a dry, dismissive scoff, trying to pull her arm away. "It is a minor scratch. I stepped on a glass shard when the wind blew the side table over earlier."
• "Sit down," he commands, his dark eyes locking onto hers with a stern authority that brooks no argument. He guides her firmly toward the edge of the sofa, kneeling down before she can utter another protest.