Eran POV
The females stiffened the moment the words left my mouth.
I saw it immediately, the way their shoulders locked, the way breath caught in their throats like they’d forgotten how to inhale. Fear rolled off them in waves and it made something dark and pleased coil in my chest.
My eyes widened slowly, deliberately. I let the silence stretch.
“Did you hear what I said?” I asked, my voice calm, almost curious.
They looked at one another, wide eyed, confusion tangling with dread. None of them answered at first. Their uncertainty annoyed me. I hated hesitation. It reminded me too much of weakness.
One of them finally spoke, her voice thin and shaking. “A–are we going somewhere?”
I chuckled, the sound low and humorless, and nodded. “Yes,” I said. “You’re going somewhere.”
The word
