The Telltale Stain

Clara was suddenly speechless.

Kaelen tightened his grip on her wrist. "Besides, aren't you afraid Brooke might double back? What if she's downstairs waiting to ambush you? How would you explain that?"

Clara hadn't planned on staying, but after hearing Kaelen's reasoning, she thought to herself, 'That actually makes sense. Given Brooke's temperament, she'd definitely stay behind to ambush me.'

She