The air smelled of metal and smoke not from the outside, but from the tension that hung heavy, oppressive, electric. Selene didn’t hesitate. The lock on her restraints had yielded under careful manipulation. Her body tensed, ready for what came next. Lucian’s presence was near. She felt it not just instinct, but certainty. The shadows shifted. Movement approached silent, coordinated, deadly. Selene’s heart pounded, not with fear, but with anticipation.
Then the door burst open. Lucian stepped through not careful, not measured, not slow explosive. His eyes locked on hers, dark, stormy, relentless. “You’re mine,” he growled. “And I’m not going anywhere,” Selene replied, her voice low but unwavering. The enemy reacted instantly. Figures moved from the corners trained, lethal, fast. Lucian di
