Queen of Warmth

The pull he can't hide

Tuzi didn’t know how she made it home after the shadow lunged from the trees. Her legs moved on instinct, her heart racing, her mind replaying the moment Matthias stepped in front of her like he’d done it a thousand times before.

She didn’t sleep.

She couldn’t.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the way he looked at her — not angry, not cold, but something else. Something he didn’t want her to see.

Something she wasn’t supposed to feel.

By morning, she was exhausted, but the pull in her chest was stronger than ever. She tried to ignore it. She tried to stay home. But the longer she sat still, the more it felt like something inside her was tightening, pulling, calling.

Not the house.

Not the shadows.

Him.

Against her better judgment, she walked back toward the mansion.

The moment she stepped onto the property, the air shifted — colder, heavier, aware. The trees rustled even though there was no wind. The mansion seemed to straighten, like it sensed her return.

Tuzi swallowed hard and stepped inside.

The woman looked startled.

“You weren’t supposed to come today.”

“I know,” Tuzi said softly. “But I… needed to.”

The woman didn’t question it. She just handed her a small list and hurried away, almost like she didn’t want to be near Tuzi for too long.

Tuzi started dusting the main hall, trying to calm her racing thoughts. But then she felt it — that familiar cold behind her. Not the house. Not the shadows.

Matthias.

She turned slowly.

He stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable, but his eyes… his eyes gave him away. Relief. Frustration. Something warm he didn’t want to feel.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly.

Tuzi’s breath caught.

“You told me not to come. I know. But I— I felt like I had to.”

Matthias stepped closer, and the pull between them snapped tight, stronger than ever. Tuzi’s pulse jumped. She hated how her body reacted to him — hated that she couldn’t control it.

“You felt it,” he said, voice low.

Tuzi swallowed.

“I don’t know what I felt.”

Matthias’s jaw tightened.

“You’re not supposed to feel anything. Not yet.”

“Yet?” Tuzi whispered.

He froze — like he’d said too much.

Before she could ask anything else, a loud crack echoed from the east wing. The lights flickered. The temperature dropped so sharply her breath turned white.

Matthias moved instantly, stepping in front of her, shielding her with his body.

“They’re inside,” he murmured.

Tuzi’s heart stopped.

“Who?”

Matthias didn’t answer.

But the look in his eyes told her everything:

Whatever was coming…

was coming for her.

And he would stand between her and the world to stop it.