By the time we reached the mansion, the moon had slipped behind a wall of clouds. The guards at the back entrance barely looked up as Colin nodded to them, and I slipped inside, pulling my shawl tighter. My heart hadn’t stopped racing since Nathan appeared.
Colin stopped at the foot of the staircase. “You should get some sleep,” he murmured, voice low but firm.
I managed a nod. “Thank you… for not saying anything.”
He gave a small, half-smile. “I meant what I said earlier, Rain. Some of us don’t bite.”
“Noted,” I said softly.
He lingered a moment longer, studying my face as if trying to read what I wasn’t saying. Then he turned away, disappearing down the hall.
By the time I reached my room, my fingers were trembling. I shut the door quietly and leaned against it, letting the silence
