The tall figure's presence filled the hall like smoke — silent, heavy, inescapable.
Jessel's pulse hammered as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. The man stepped forward, the glint of his belt buckle catching the chandelier's reflection. Nero, the dog, growled low at his side, hackles raised.
Castiel didn't move. He simply leaned back on the sofa, swirling his glass of whiskey as if expecting this arrival.
"You're late," he said, voice sharp enough to cut through the silence.
The stranger stopped a few feet away, his face now visible — strong jaw, cold eyes, a faint scar tracing near his temple. His gaze flicked briefly to Jessel before landing back on Castiel.
"There was a delay," the man said evenly. "Your new guest caused quite a stir last night."
Jessel's stomach tightened. He knew. Whoever this was, he knew what she'd done — or at least that she'd been out there.
Castiel's smirk deepened. "She handled herself."
The man's tone carried quiet skepticism. "Barely."
Nero barked once, loud and commanding. The man silenced the dog with a brief glance — the kind of look that said he was used to control.
Jessel looked between them, unsure what was happening. "Who—who are you?"
Castiel finally stood, his movements deliberate and slow.
"This," he said, gesturing toward the man, "is Adrian. My right hand."
Adrian's eyes lingered on her — calm, unreadable, the kind of stare that made her skin prickle.
"She shouldn't be here," Adrian said flatly.
"She's already here," Castiel replied. "And she stays."
The air between them crackled with unspoken tension. Two men, both powerful in different ways — one driven by control, the other by precision. Jessel felt caught between storms.
---
Later that morning, Jessel wandered the mansion halls, her blistered feet wrapped in fresh bandages by one of the maids. The marble beneath her steps felt colder than before. Everywhere she turned, someone seemed to be watching — guards, servants, shadows that didn't move when she did.
The night before had been a test. She knew that now. But for what, she couldn't tell.
When she reached the study, she paused at the door. Inside, she heard voices — low, deliberate.
"…she's not trained," Adrian said.
"She's learning," Castiel replied.
"She's a liability."
A pause. Then the sound of Castiel's chair scraping softly against the floor.
"You worry too much," he said. "She'll prove herself again soon."
Jessel's breath caught. She pressed her back against the wall, heart thudding. They were talking about her.
---
That night, rain fell in heavy sheets, drowning the city in gray. Jessel couldn't sleep. Every sound — the creak of the wood, the shifting of wind — set her nerves on edge.
She rose from bed and stepped to the window. Down below, she saw a shadow move near the garden gates — slow, deliberate.
Her first thought was Adrian, doing his usual rounds. But then, Nero barked again — this time from inside the mansion.
She turned sharply. The hallway outside her room was dark. Too dark.
Grabbing the small candle from her nightstand, she opened the door. The flame trembled, casting thin light over the grand corridor.
"Adrian?" she whispered. No response.
Another sound echoed — footsteps, but not his steady, calm stride. These were lighter. Rushed. Wrong.
She followed them down the stairs. The scent of smoke and damp earth filled the air. Nero's barking grew louder near the main hall. Jessel turned the corner—
And froze.
The front doors stood wide open, wind and rain sweeping in. The guards who usually stood there were gone. The chandelier above swayed slightly, creaking against its chain.
Then a voice came from the shadows.
"You shouldn't be here."
It was Adrian. He stepped forward from the darkness, rain dripping from his coat. His gun was drawn, his eyes cold and alert.
"Go back upstairs," he ordered.
"What's happening?" she demanded, fear creeping into her voice.
Before he could answer, a figure moved outside — another shadow among shadows. A gun gleamed under the lightning flash.
Adrian reacted instantly, pulling Jessel behind him.
"Down!" he hissed.
The gunshot shattered the silence. The chandelier swung violently overhead, one of its crystals snapping free and crashing to the marble floor.
Jessel gasped, her heart racing. Nero barked furiously. Adrian fired back, the flash lighting his face for a heartbeat — sharp, focused, unflinching.
And just as suddenly as it began, silence fell again.
Rain continued to pour outside.
Adrian lowered his weapon, scanning the darkness.
"Someone found us," he muttered under his breath. "Too soon."
He turned toward Jessel, his eyes locking on hers. For the first time, there was something human in them — concern, maybe.
"Don't tell Castiel you saw this," he said quietly. "Not yet."
Before she could ask why, he walked past her and disappeared into the rain.
Jessel stood frozen in the doorway, the cold wind cutting through her torn dress. The mansion behind her felt less like a home — and more like a cage.
And in that moment, as thunder rolled across the sky, she realized something terrifying.
The shadow she'd seen last night wasn't just a man.
It was the beginning of everything she didn't yet understand.
---
To be continued.
A shadow from the past returns… but this time, it knows her name.