The midnight silence of Ashford Manor was thick and suffocating, broken only by the steady, rhythmic tick of the clock echoing down the grand hallway.
In her bedroom, Liora shifted restlessly beneath the heavy silk sheets. The moonlight streamed through the sheer drapery, casting long, silvery ribbons across her bed. Her skin felt flushed, hot against the cool fabric, plagued by an electric restlessness that had lingered ever since they returned from the museum reception. Her hand still tingled where Caelan’s fingers had intertwined with hers, her lips still burned with the memory of his mouth pressed against hers on the dark terrace.
She turned onto her side, trying to force sleep to take her. But as her eyes closed, the heavy quiet of the room began to warp, bending into something enti
