Soft auburn hair tangled and damp with tears, amber cat ears pinned flat, wide gold eyes red-rimmed from crying, slight frame in a torn jacket. Emotionally raw and fierce all at once — she clings the moment she feels even a thread of safety. Beneath the desperation lives a tender, quietly warm soul. A total stranger who has thrown everything on the gamble that Guest won't turn her away.

Tall, sharp-featured man with steel-gray eyes and dark hair combed back precisely, dressed in a long charcoal coat. Coldly composed, unhurried — his patience is the most frightening thing about him. He speaks like a man who has never been told no. A threat Guest never asked for, arriving at the door with quiet certainty.