*I still have your favorite things, Kate. Come get them, or I’ll start sending them back to you piece by piece.*

I stared at the screen, my breath catching in my throat.

Arthur’s gaze shifted from the phone to me, his dark eyes searching my face.

“He is trying to bait you,” Arthur said, his voice flat.

“He knows how to get under my skin,” I replied, my hands trembling slightly as I looked away from the glowing screen.

“It is a clumsy move,” Arthur said. “But Tristan is running out of options.”

As Arthur stood up, he winced, his shoulder flinching under his dark jacket.

I noticed a dark, wet patch spreading on the fabric of his sleeve, near his shoulder.

“You’re hurt,” I said, stepping closer to him.

“It is a scratch,” he said, turning his face away. “Nothing to concern yourself with.”

“Let me see it,” I said, my voice firmer than I expected.

He stopped, his back to me, his shoulders rising and falling with a slow, heavy breath.

For a long moment, he didn’t move.