Chapter 209

• As my gaze shot up, I locked eyes with a pair I knew too well. Lighter than Carlo's, Leonardo's grey eyes
• were almost white, like clouds heavy with the promise of rain. My heart pounded, but I kept my focus on his eyes, refusing to let my gaze wander. I knew that if I traced the angles of his face or the strands of his dark hair, I'd lose my resolve entirely. I had never resented the mate-bond more than in this moment. Even after everything he’d done, it still tugged at me, a force determined to close the gap between us. Grinding my teeth, I resisted the pull, my expression tightening as one of Leonardo's dark eyebrows quirked upward.
• “A stray kitten lost in my house,” he said, the corner of his maddeningly full lips twitching. His voice was just as I remembered—if not more captivating. Deep, gravelly, with a hint of allure and caution. It was the kind of voice that could undo me if he knew the right words to use.