Bloodbound: The Alliance

Avara POV

Botan hesitates for a fraction of a second before gesturing sharply. The guards step aside, exposing me to Haru’s piercing gaze. He examines me with a detached intensity that makes my skin crawl, completely unreadable, neither critical or caring.

Finally, he speaks, his words final as his eyes slice back to Botan. "We must speak. Alone."

Botan nods obediently then glances at Akio. "Stay with her."

Akio groans like a teenager forced to babysit. Haru snaps a command and all the men dissipate, drawing away to distant corners as Akio wanders over to glare back at me jadedly.

I meet his glare with a faint smile, trying to diffuse the tension. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," he admits grudgingly.

I lead him to the kitchen. I guide Akio to the counter, where Martha hovers momentarily, her expression a mixture of duty and concern. She offers to take over, but I raise a kind hand, a soft smile accompanying my refusal.

Akio takes a seat at the island counter. His eyes don’t waver from me as I collect the ingredients—a crusty baguette, fresh lettuce, plump tomatoes, slices of ham and cheese, and a jar of creamy mayo. The quiet click of the knife against the cutting board fills the room as I begin slicing the bread.

"You know," I start, keeping my tone even, "I didn’t ask him to leave or to stay away."

Akio leans back slightly, his mouth flattening into a thin line of disdain. "You didn’t have to," he says sharply, the words landing like an accusation.

I press the knife into the baguette, splitting it neatly down the middle, and begin buttering the inside. "You don’t like me," I state plainly, glancing up to catch his piercing gaze. "Because you see me as a distraction. Dangerous, I imagine, in your... line of work."