(Catherine POV)
I pressed myself against the cold stone wall outside Kieran's study, my heart hammering so loudly I was certain it would give away my position. I hadn't meant to eavesdrop—had simply been returning from the library when raised voices had stopped me in the corridor like a physical barrier.
Lucas's voice carried the particular strain of someone delivering unwelcome news: "...can't protect her from this, Kieran. Blackwood isn't making idle threats."
Blackwood. The name was unfamiliar, but the way Lucas spoke it made my skin crawl with instinctive dread. Whoever this person was, they represented danger significant enough to c***k the careful composure both men usually maintained.
"I'm aware of what Blackwood is capable of," Kieran replied, his voice carrying undertones that
