Grace watched nervously as Stella quickly dropped her hand, stepping back like a child caught in the wrong room. Still, she tried to salvage the moment. She thought if she could just get a little closer, maybe lighten the air with a hug, Mark's mood might soften.
After all, just yesterday, they had begged Mark to be lenient, to at least hold back his temper for the sake of today's event. Grace was counting on that plea to buy her a little grace now.
Without wasting anymore time she took a small step forward, lifting her arms slightly, her face stretching into a careful smile.
But then she stopped, her body froze on the spot.
Because she caught it, the flicker in Mark's eyes, the sharp, deadly glare, colder than a graveyard at midnight. It was the kind of look that made someone spine shiver, the kind that warned if she got any closer, she might never walk back out.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Mark's voice broke the air cold, low, and commanding.
