ELENA

The ride back to the mansion was uneventful. Lucia and I had managed to get everything on the list without any trouble, and for a brief moment, I almost let myself relax. Almost.

But the second we stepped through the mansion’s grand doors, I felt it. The tension. The shift in the air.

Dominic was in the living room, pacing. His movements were sharp, restless—like a lion caged in too small a space, waiting for something to tear apart.

Lucia saw him first. I heard the way her breath ...