He made no sound, announced no arrival. He simply appeared at the edge of the dance floor, his silhouette outlined against the chandeliers and the moonlight streaming through the tall windows. Each step he took was measured, imperceptible, yet the effect was immediate: all laughter and whispers died as if someone had thrown a veil of silence over the room.
Stephan didn't fully flinch, but his fingers tensed slightly around my wrist. And I... I was paralyzed. Not from fear. Not entirely. But from that mixture I always felt when Lucian was near: the pressure of his power, the dark magnetism that pulled everything around him, and the fact that his golden eyes seemed to devour me completely.
"Well..." Stephan murmured, lowering his voice just enough for me to hear, with a mischievous glint on his lips. "It seems we have company."
