Elara
It starts with something small, almost too small to matter, and that’s how he works — not loud, not obvious, but personal. I notice it the second I unlock my apartment door. The air feels wrong. Not disturbed, not broken into, just… wrong, like something has shifted in a way only I would recognize. Adrian is still behind me, close enough that I can feel his awareness sharpen instantly.
“Don’t move.”
My body freezes at the quiet command, my breath catching in my throat.
“What is it?”
“Something’s off.”
His voice is calm, but there’s tension coiling beneath it. His hand brushes lightly against my lower back, not pushing or pulling, just guiding me a half step behind him as he steps inside first. He scans everything quickly and precisely. The living room is exactly how I left it —
