“That was not hazing. He attacked me.” Alois let a brief moment pass, slowly standing to meet my gaze. Then—“Are you done?” he asked.
I blinked. “Am I—what?”
“Are you done being dramatic,” he clarified, tone even, “or should I wait?”
My jaw dropped. “I’mbeing dramatic?” I laughed, sharp and incredulous. “I was just publicly humiliated in my own home?—”
“You humiliated yourself,” he cut in, not harsh, not loud—just precise.
Damn him.
I stepped forward before I could stop myself, closing the distance between us, heat flaring under my skin all over again—not from embarrassment this time, but from something sharper.
A flicker of something crossed his face—quick, gone before I could name it.
I stilled.
God.
He was exhausting.
Infuriating.
And somehow—worse now that I understood him just a fraction more than I had an hour ago.
Alois moved first.
Not away.
Not toward me.
Past me.
He crossed to the chair where he’d left his coat, picking it up in one smooth motion, already sliding his arms into it like the conversation had ended whether I agreed or not.
“I have to go out for a bit.” It was a simple statement, all edge and temper evaporated instantly.
I blinked. “What? No.”
He paused.
Just barely.
“You’re not going anywhere without me.” There was nohesitation in my voice this time. No second-guessing. No room for interpretation.
Alois turned his head slightly, looking at me over his shoulder. Not surprised. Not annoyed. Like he’d been waiting for it.
His mouth shifted—not quite a smile, not quite anything I could pin down—and he gave a loose, almost careless shrug. “Suit yourself.”
CHAPTER 15
ALOIS
Ishould not have seen her like that.
The thought came back sharper than it needed to, cutting through everything else with an edge that hadn’t dulled since the moment it happened. It sat there, lodged behind my ribs, irritating in the way only something uncontrollable could be.
Because now I knew.