Every man in the room shifted forward at the same time. The movement was subtle, instinctive, the collective lean of six apex predators who had just watched a mask come off and were recalculating threat level in real time.
Emma's eyes tracked the movement the way a cat tracks a laser pointer. Amused. Aware. Completely unbothered.
"If any of them take a step closer, this turns into something else. Right now, it's a conversation. I'd prefer to keep it that way. Wouldn't you?"
The sentence was aimed at Blair but the threat was aimed at the room, and the room heard it, because a woman who had infiltrated Drakencrest Keep for seven weeks undetected was not a woman who made empty promises about what happened when conversations ended.
Blair held up one hand. Palm flat. Fingers spread. The gesture was aimed behind her at six men who were, to varying degrees, ready to close the distance.
Nobody moved.
