Seizing the moment as two elders fetched the Truth Compass, I slipped from Seraphina’s grasp, weaving through the crowd to an empty corridor along the room’s edge. Don’t judge my aversion to her—Seraphina’s frail facade shattered when rage consumed her. Her nostrils flared, hot breaths grazing my neck, a visceral intrusion that churned my stomach. She and Jack might share countless nights tangled in sheets, whispering secrets, but to me, they were near strangers, their intimacy a distant, alien thing.
“I hope my arrival helped you,” a voice said softly.
Lucas stood beside me, his smile gentle, almost tentative. Was I imagining the trace of eagerness in his expression, a subtle plea for approval? His presence, as it had when he entered, stirred something deeper now—a faint warmth envelope
