Rain poured over New York, it was relentless that it made the city feel both alive and isolating. Streetlights shimmered off slick asphalt, taxis hissed past, and pedestrians hurried under umbrellas.
Zahra sat behind the expansive glass of her office, fingers drumming lightly against polished mahogany. The skyline stretched before her, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She had always found solace in control, in precision, in knowing exactly how the pieces on her board moved.
Yet lately, control felt fragile, tentative. Since confiding in Aesir, she had sensed a subtle shift in herself, in her awareness. Someone or something was out there, watching, waiting. And that awareness had grown like a quiet pulse at the back of her mind.
Aesir had noticed the change immediately. He had always be
