The fire had died to a low pulse of embers. The room felt smaller now, the shadows thicker, pressing against the walls like they were listening. I stood by the window with my arms folded tight, staring at the frozen lake outside. Moonlight turned the ice into a sheet of pale glass. Everything looked still. Frozen. Waiting.
Kain hadn't left yet.
He stayed near the desk, one hip resting against the edge, arms crossed loosely over his chest. The silver cufflinks on his rolled sleeves caught the dying light. He watched me the way someone watches a storm cloud move across the sky, not sure if it will pass or break open.
I felt his gaze on the side of my neck. On the faint silver lines that used to be a scar and now were just quiet skin. The vial had done its work too well. Too fast. My body felt borrowed. Stronger than it should. Lighter. But the memory of the black veins crawling under my ribs still lingered like a bad dream I couldn't shake.
He spoke first.
