The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately. The sound of the door slamming shut echoed through the chamber, reverberating off the cold stone walls. Damien and Elena both instinctively took a step back, their eyes scanning the darkened corners of the room. The shadows seemed to stretch unnaturally long, as if the very walls were watching them, waiting.
The man—the one who had led them here—stood frozen for a moment, his face paling. His earlier calm was now replaced by a raw edge of panic. He glanced over his shoulder, then back at Damien and Elena, his lips trembling.
“They’re here. We’re too late.”
Damien’s mind raced. His pulse pounded in his ears. He hadn’t even thought about the possibility that they could be trapped. The entire mansion, the forest, the sense of foreboding that
