The humming in the room grew sharper, rattling in my chest like a second heartbeat I couldn’t escape. I gripped the edge of the gold table, trying to steady myself, but the marble felt slippery under my fingers-too smooth, too polished, too cold.
Then.
The doors at the far end swung open. Hard. Too hard. The sound echoed through the room like a crack of thunder.
I jumped.
Two women entered, both dressed in simple black dresses that somehow made them look even more out of place among all the gold. They didn’t look at anyone-not at me, not at Damian, not at the guests. Their faces were blank, almost empty.
Between them, they pushed a long rolling table covered completely in food.
Not food I recognize.
Food that didn’t even look real.
Tall glass dishes filled with glowing fruits
