The silence after Adrian’s departure was suffocating.
Alina’s pulse still thundered in her ears, the ghost of cold steel lingering against her temple. She exhaled shakily, forcing herself to focus on **now**—on the fact that she was alive.
Damon stood a few feet away, his back to her, his body **tense with fury**. His fingers twitched at his sides as if he were still gripping his gun, as if his entire being demanded action—**violence.**
He hadn’t spoken since Adrian escaped.
The room was a wreck. Broken glass, shattered furniture, blood smeared across the floor where Adrian had been shot.
But none of that mattered.
Because Adrian had walked away.
And he wasn’t finished.
Alina swallowed hard. "Damon."
He didn’t turn.
His hands clenched into fists.
"Are you o
