VICTOR'S POV
The mansion fell silent long after midnight.
I lay still in the guest room they had reluctantly given me a small, windowless chamber at the far end of the east wing, far from Arielle's quarters. Harrison's silent message was clear: You are not welcome here, but for her sake, I tolerate you.
Sleep was impossible.
The dull ache in my chest had not faded since I'd touched that accursed plant. It sat there like a smoldering ember, waiting to ignite. Every breath I took reminded me of the poison taking root somewhere deep within my lungs.
Selene.
The name echoed in my skull like a curse.
I had killed her. I had seen the life drain from her eyes. I had felt her pulse fade beneath my trembling fingers. That memory had haunted me for seven years—the blood, the terror, the
