Cyrus strode back into the shop's dim interior, his phone still clutched in suddenly rigid fingers.
The casual conversation between Ginsei and Mochi felt distant, their voices muffled by the roaring in his ears.
Ginsei's ice-blue eyes tracked Cyrus's movement, serpentine instincts picking up the shift in the dragon's demeanor.
"What's wrong?" Ginsei asked, his pale brows drawing together.
Cyrus didn't answer. His crimson eyes stared through the shop's cluttered interior, seeing nothing but the growing certainty that Kane was no longer safe in his warded penthouse.
"—so I'll put word out through the usual channels," Mochi was saying, oblivious to the tension crackling through the air.
"Underground auction, rare shard, all very hush-hush. Bob Holloway won't be able to resist—"
The pendant's warmth pulsed against Cyrus's chest, a steady reminder of its connection to Kane.
Then something shifted. The familiar rhythm stuttered, becoming erratic.
