The instant the door slammed shut behind us, the room’s air constricted, thick and heavy, like a living thing pressing against my skin. Every sense flared. Shadows flickered against the walls as if alive, swallowing corners, twisting into shapes I didn’t recognize but instinctively feared. My chest tightened, lungs burning with the need for clarity and control, and Adrian’s hand found mine, firm, grounding, the only anchor in a storm of threats and uncertainty.
The third figure lingered at the threshold, half in shadow, half revealed, their presence twisting reality into something unrecognizable. My mind raced, heart hammering. Who were they? How had they infiltrated the one place I thought untouchable? Pride battled fear, jealousy mingled with adrenaline, and an unsettling thrill crawled
