Caroline’s footsteps echoed in the grand hallway, each one a stark reminder that there was no turning back. The castle loomed around her, its cold stone walls closing in as Damon led her deeper into its heart. The air was thick with the scent of age and dust, and the flickering torchlight cast long shadows on the walls, making every step seem like a journey into the unknown.
Damon’s presence beside her was overwhelming. His broad shoulders, his towering figure, seemed to take up the entire space. Yet, despite the intimidating aura he projected, there was something in the way he moved—his careful pace, the almost imperceptible tension in his body—that made Caroline’s heart skip a beat. It was as though he was controlling himself, holding back a force of nature that could tear everything ap
