The night didn’t feel the same anymore.
It wasn’t quiet.
It wasn’t still.
It felt like something was watching.
Selene noticed it the moment she stepped onto the balcony. The air was colder than usual, the wind sharper as it brushed against her skin like a warning she couldn’t quite ignore.
Below, the estate stretched into darkness. Vast. Silent. Deceptive.
Too quiet.
Her hand rested lightly against her side, the bandage beneath her clothes a constant reminder of how close she had come to losing everything.
Or maybe
how close everything had come to losing her.
“You shouldn’t be out here.”
Lucian’s voice came from behind her.
Low. Controlled.
Closer than she expected.
Selene didn’t turn right away.
“I needed air.”
Footsteps followed. Slow. Measured.
Then he was beside her.
