“She’ll do,” he told Lucian, not bothering to look at Laura again. “For now.”
Lucian’s smirk widened. “I told you she was different.”
Laura rubbed her throat, feeling the tender spots where his fingers had pressed. Different? Was that good or bad in this world of monsters?
Before she could fully catch her breath, she felt it.
Another change in the air.
Not like Dante, who crashed into a room like a storm battering cliffs. This was different. This presence crept in silently, like shadow slipping through cracks. It curled around her, sending chills down her spine that had nothing to do with temperature.
Slow, deliberate clapping echoed through the room.
“Impressive,” a smooth voice drawled. “I almost thought you’d cry.”
Laura turned sharply.
A man stood at the entrance, leaning agai
