The silence after Roman’s words felt wrong.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Like the entire penthouse had stopped breathing.
Briarvale.
My stomach dropped so hard it hurt.
“What happened?” I asked quietly.
Damien was already moving.
The softness from moments earlier vanished completely beneath cold, lethal focus. He grabbed his coat from the back of a chair while still listening to Roman.
“When?”
A pause.
Then Damien’s jaw flexed violently.
“Who was there?”
My pulse began hammering.
“Damien.”
His eyes lifted to mine instantly.
And whatever he saw on my face made something dark flash across his expression.
Fear.
Not his.
Mine.
He ended the call abruptly.
“What happened?” I repeated louder this time.
Damien crossed the room toward me fast enough to make instinct spark through my nerves.
