I stood before the mirror, my fingers tightening around the silver crown. I had to breathe. I had to be still.
The reflection staring back at me wasn’t my own. It was someone else—someone who no longer trembled, no longer hesitated.
I had let my emotions crack through tonight. It wouldn’t happen again.
The door creaked behind me.
I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
Luca.
His presence filled the room like a silent storm, heavy and dangerous. “You ran,” he said.
I placed the crown back on the dresser with deliberate care. “I needed air.”
Luca didn’t move closer, but I could feel his gaze traveling over me. Watching. Measuring.
“You’re lying.”
My fingers curled. “I don’t—”
“I know when you’re hiding something, Zuriel.”
His voice was too calm, too controlled.
I turned then,
