His hazel eyes—piercing, always calculating—rake over me like he’s assessing me for injuries, always the mother hen. At least to those closest to him. Orion is a person who walks into a room and immediately sizes everyone up like he’s filing them away into categories: threat, civilian, and potential headache. Right now? I think I fall into the last one. His face is both disapproving and unreadable at the same time, his arms crossed over his chest like he’s already planning my funeral.

I would say I regret giving him a spare key, but he’s the one that taught me how to pick locks, so really, I’d be in this position no matter what.

He looks exactly the same as the last time I saw him—neatly dressed, hair trimmed to precision, exuding that same quiet authority that makes people sit up straighter when he walks into a room. He’s always been the more serious one, the responsible one, the protector. And right now?

He looks like he’s about two seconds away from tearing me a new one.

My stomach twists, heat creeping up my neck. I knew this was coming, I knew it the second I answered his call and he said he was at my house. But knowing doesn’t make it any easier.

I hold up my hands before he can start. “Before you say anything—”

“No, I’m not saying anything, you are the one that needs to start talking.” His voice is clipped, his jaw tight. “You missed the check-in, disappeared for days, ignored my messages, and then you picked up the phone today like it’s nothing?” He steps aside and jerks his head toward the inside of the house. “Inside. Now.”

I groan but step past him, my stomach twisting as he slams the door shut behind me. The air inside suddenly feels heavier, charged, like a storm waiting to break. I barely set my bag down before he rounds on me. Where is Valkyrie when I need her?

“What the hell is going on, Selene?”

His voice is calmer now, but I know better. This is just the first wave. He’s waiting for me to slip, to say the wrong thing that will solidify his belief that my moving was a mistake so he can whisk me back to DC.

I drag a hand through my hair, trying to tamp down my frustration. “Everything is fine, Orion.”

His eyes narrow. “Really? Because if I remember correctly part of you moving out here, far away from everyone was the promise that you would keep in contact so we would know you didn’t fall off the face of the earth or worse.”