**Elena**
It was pouring down heavily as I gazed out the window of the car, raindrops racing each other across the glass.
Thunder grumbled in the distance like the sky itself was restless, just like my thoughts.
“My queen, we’ve arrived,” the driver’s voice broke the quiet.
“Okay…” I replied, unlocking the door. I pushed it open and a chilly splash of rain kissed me.
Before I could take another step, a shield appeared over me, an umbrella, blocking the rain.
I looked up in surprise.
“My king..I mean, Xavier,” I stammered, my heart skipping like I’d swallowed a hiccup.
He held the umbrella with one hand and my arm with the other as we hurried toward the mansion.
He looked so serious, brow slightly furrowed, jaw tense.
Wow. He’s really serious about this whole thing, I thought, s
