“Show yourself.” Adrian didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. The command carried weight, sharp and controlled, cutting through the silence that pressed too tightly around us.
No movement. No response.
Only the echo of that voice is still hanging in the air, too close, too familiar. My pulse didn’t spike the way it should have. Instead, it was slow and deliberate, each beat heavier than the last. Not calm. Not fear. Something else. Recognition settling into place piece by piece.
“You already see me,” the voice said. Closer this time. Behind us.
Adrian turned first, fast and precise, pulling me slightly with him. His grip tightened instinctively, positioning me just off his side, not fully shielded, but protected enough to react. The room didn’t change. No hidden door. No shadow sh
