Vincent's hand stayed over mine on the dropped petition long after the corridor emptied. I had come for guardianship of my niece and the shelter of his name, yet the low order he gave me to remain after dark already pulled at the edge of something I could not name aloud.

His commands left no space for argument, and the thick forearm resting near the scarred ledger made plain what waited once the lamps dimmed. The discipline he promised would keep our secret hidden from the courts and the household alike, but I felt the air shift the moment I did not step back.

What else would I surrender to stay under that protection?