The moment I opened my eyes, I knew nothing would be the same. The room was bathed in a tense, suffocating quiet, broken only by the subtle hum of the security systems Adrian had installed, or maybe it was a warning, a prelude to chaos. Every nerve in my body screamed alert, my pulse hammering against my ribs as if trying to escape.
Adrian’s presence was immediate, solid, a tether in the shifting tension. He didn’t speak at first, his gaze sweeping the shadows with a precision that made the hairs on my arms stand. Calm, calculated, but beneath that controlled exterior, I could feel the undercurrent of anticipation, the restrained storm he refused to let show.
I swallowed hard, the taste of fear sharp in my throat, and tried to steady my breathing. Thoughts collided, sharp and fast, dange
