Venom and Tenderness

ROWAN’S POV

He’s wearing an orange jumpsuit, bright and garish against the elegant backdrop of the dining room.

His wrists are bound in front of him, his ankles shackled with just enough chain to let him shuffle forward.

He looks smaller than I remember, diminished somehow, like custody has already started to compress him into something lesser.

I go completely still.

The last time I saw him, he wa