DANTE’S POV

“What is that noise?” Elara’s voice cut through the tension that had just built, trembling. She rose from her seat, her eyes fixed on the door. Fear raced in her gaze, real fear and for a brief second, something struck something deeper in me. But there was no time to get lost in her expression.

There were bigger things than letting Elara distract me.

I turned and pulled the door open, stepping into the corridor and into the hallway.

The bell and the noise were still ...