The house felt impossibly silent when I crept down the marble corridor, bare feet making no sound against the polished floors. Damian had been gone for hours, attending a late-night council meeting I had refused to attend. Chloe’s absence left only the quiet hum of the mansion’s security systems and the faint ticking of the grandfather clock in the main hall. But silence wasn’t peace. Not anymore. Silence was a cage, and I could feel the heat coiling low in my belly, twisting, demanding release. By the time I reached the living room, I found him already there. Damian had returned early, standing by the massive bay window that overlooked the city skyline. The moonlight cut sharp angles across his jaw, highlighting the stubble I had memorized long ago. Even in repose, he radiated command, bu
