The night was a blanket of silence broken only by the whisper of wind slipping through the castle towers. The forest, which normally vibrated with life, seemed to hold its breath, as if nature itself knew that something dark loomed over us. I sat in the dimness of my room, elbows resting on my knees and gaze fixed on the stone floor. The moon, my eternal companion, cast its cold light through the window, illuminating the sharp edges of my face and the golden gleam of my eyes.
Hours had passed since I left the flower on her pillow, but the scent of her skin still clung to me like a memory impossible to erase. My mind was a whirlwind of dark thoughts and contradictory emotions. Why couldn't I stay away from her? Why did her mere existence seem to threaten the control I had worked so hard to build?
A sharp knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I knew who it was even before they spoke.
"Come in, Jaxon," I growled.
