The drive back felt empty.
Not in a peaceful way. Not even tense, like when there’s an argument hanging in the air. This silence was raw, almost painful crowded with everything they refused to say.
Selene sat quiet in Lucian’s passenger seat, her hands locked tight in her lap. They still shook a little, the leftover adrenaline humming beneath her skin. But that wasn’t what had her rattled anymore.
Now she was hyper-aware of him.
Lucian’s grip on the wheel looked loose one hand steering, the other resting near the gearshift. His posture seemed easy, but Selene saw through it. He was never really relaxed. Every move, every glance, carefully measured. Dangerous.
Out of nowhere, he finally spoke. “You hesitated.”
She turned, just enough to catch his profile. “What?”
“When I asked if you
