Darius stood in the doorway of my shop.
He looked terrible: gaunt, unsteady, hair unkempt, suit stained and worn. Yet when his eyes fell on me, hope flared bright and unmistakable. "Seren… at last. I have found you."
My face remained calm, untouched by feeling. "Why are you here?"
His eyes glistened. He stepped toward me cautiously, his voice thick with emotion. "I came only to see how you fare. I have been watching these past days, and I may not have been visible. But I could not stay away."
I understood then why I had felt so watched these past nights. It had been him.
"You have seen," I said evenly. "Now leave."
He paled and stepped closer. "It's over. I cast Addison out. She's gone from my life and from my clan. I know my sin. Come home, Seren. I cannot bear to li
