In the deep hush of the private villa, Delilah lay on the bed still in her day clothes, having dismissed every maid and assistant until she was utterly alone.
The silence pressed in, broken only by the soft sound of her own breathing.
Late into the night, a faint, rhythmic tapping, tap, tap, tap, came from the window.
A heartbeat later, a dark silhouette slipped through the opening with fluid, catlike grace, landing silently inside the room.
Delilah's body snapped rigid, every muscle tensing as she fixed a razor-sharp stare on the intruder.
The shadow stepped closer, his voice trembling with a joy he couldn't quite leash. "Natalia! You're actually alive!"
Natalia? The unfamiliar name sparked a flicker of confusion, but she crushed it instantly, her face an unreadable mask.
"Who are
