The heavy silence of the mansion felt like a physical weight as Isolde stepped out of her room, her heels clicking sharply against the polished marble floors. Silas was exactly where he said he would be, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his broad chest, his tactical gear making him look more like a predator than a bodyguard. His dark eyes tracked her every movement, scanning her from the hem of her dress up to the defiant set of her jaw, and the way he looked at her made her skin prickle with a mixture of genuine fear and a heat she couldn't suppress. He didn't move an inch as she approached, forcing her to be the one to break the distance, and when she finally stood before him, the scent of cedar and cold rain clinging to him filled her senses, making her head swim.
"Y
