Chapter 26

The night had barely lifted when it hit him.

Lucien doubled over in his office, one hand gripping the edge of his desk, the other pressed hard against his chest. Pain sliced through him—sharp, searing, alive. It wasn’t the kind that came from wounds or battle. This one burned from the inside out, spreading through his ribs like fire under his skin.

He gasped. Air refused to come. For a second, his vision blurred, black corners closing in.

Then he felt it.

Her.

Serena.

It tore ...