The silence that followed Marcus's admission stretched just long enough to become uncomfortable before Kai burst into laughter.
"Oh, this is rich," he said, wiping tears from his eyes. "Marcus, the look on your face! You're acting like you just confessed to murder instead of admitting you have a fully equipped dungeon in your basement."
"It's not technically a dungeon," Marcus protested with wounded dignity. "It's a purpose-built training facility with specialized equipment for exploring power dynamics and—"
"It's a dungeon," Samantha interrupted cheerfully, settling into one of the newly expanded armchairs with the kind of casual comfort that came from months of familiarity. "A beautiful, well-designed, thoroughly stocked dungeon that Thomas maintains with the same attention to detail he gives the rest of the estate."
