Zane’s POV
Leona was unlike anyone I’d ever encountered—a living riddle, her every action, and guarded word daring me to decipher her secrets. Watching her retreat from the library earlier, stiff and defensive, only solidified my belief: she was hiding something. Something big. And I needed to know what it was.
The crackle of the fire brought me back to the present. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, and stared into the flames, letting their warmth seep into my skin. The mansion’s whispers seemed to rise and fall with the flickering light, as if they were feeding off my thoughts.
Leona’s arrival had unsettled the house. No, that wasn’t quite right—it had awakened it. The quiet, almost imperceptible hum of the mansion that I’d grown used to over the years had transformed in
