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I looked at the damaged frame. “Why did Harrowmere ignore me when I told the main doors to close?”

“It didn’t ignore you. Adrian used the dagger to pin that seal open. The side door has its own mark, so it still answered.”

The house felt less unpredictable, but Adrian had another reason to force his way inside.

“Can the dagger open every door?”

Stellan examined the black point cutting into the stone. “Only if he reaches the mark that controls it. Keep him at the threshold and he has one target.”

Lenora shifted her grip on the damaged blade. “And one hand to defend. He can’t hold the dagger against a seal and block both of us.”

“If he gets past it?”

“We shut him into the smallest section available and make him regret entering.”

Stellan would enjoy that plan. I intended to deny him the opportunity.

I disliked how calmly he said it while standing shirtless and bloodied beside two headless vampires.

“What do you want me to do?”

Stellan pointed to the silver line. “Stop me crossing it.”

“You’ve been trying to keep me behind that line for the last ten minutes.”

“Now I’m going to make you work for it.”

There was enough heat in his look to remind me how close I’d come to breaking my own boundary. My body chose an inconvenient time to remember too.

Lenora moved closer to the main doors. “I’ll watch Adrian.”

Stellan set his sword aside. “Use the door first. Don’t watch my hands. Watch the floor around me and decide where you want the stone to move.”

“Are you going to run at me?”

“Yes.”

The blunt answer settled it.

I placed my palm against the wall. Stellan moved.

The side door swung as soon as he crossed the line. I’d ordered it too early. He changed direction, cleared the edge and reached me before I could try again.

One arm closed around my waist. His other hand stopped beside my throat without touching it.

“Dead,” he said.

“That’s encouraging.”

I kept my voice dry even as my pulse jumped against his hand.

“You watched me instead of the floor.” His grip eased, though he didn’t let me go. “An attacker wants your eyes on him. Harrowmere needs you to look at what you’re controlling.”

His bare chest was against my shoulder, and his mouth was close to my ear. Concentrating on the floor required more effort than it should have.

“You’re making a terrible training aid.”

“I’m very motivating.”