Adeline couldn't sleep. The night pressed against her like a living thing, heavy and suffocating. She shifted on her bed again and again, hugging herself, tossing the blankets aside, curling into the sheets, then stretching out, trying to find comfort in the opulent, yet oppressive room. Her thoughts raced. Donovan. The kiss. The suffocating intensity of being so close to a man who held life and death in his hands.Every creak of the estate made her start. Every whisper of the wind against the windows made her pulse jump. She felt trapped, not just by the walls, but by the realization that she had crossed a line—one that could never be undone.Unable to endure the tension, she rose, her bare feet silent against the cold floor. She moved carefully through the corridors, needing air, needing space to think. The moonlight painted the walls with silver, shadows shifting like living things. Somewhere down the hallway, voices murmured—Donovan's men moving about. She recognized Lucas, but he was just… there. Another presence, not an immediate threat, just part of the machinery she was now trapped inside.Adeline paused, letting her fingers brush along the banister, trying to steady herself. This world wasn't hers. It never would be. And yet… she was drawn deeper into it with every heartbeat.Later, Donovan summoned her.When she entered his study, the warmth of the fireplace contrasted sharply with the chill of her skin. He was standing by the desk, hands resting on its surface, gaze dark and unreadable. The room smelled faintly of leather and cigar smoke, both intoxicating and oppressive."You're restless," he said, his voice low, deliberate. "The night doesn't suit you."Adeline swallowed, unsure how much she could admit. "I… I can't sleep. Too much… too many thoughts."He stepped closer, the air around him thickening with every inch he closed. "Thoughts of me?" His lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile.Adeline's cheeks burned. "Partly," she whispered. "Partly… of everything."He closed the distance, and for a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them. He leaned in slowly, deliberately, eyes locked on hers. "Do you feel it?" he murmured. "The danger. The desire. The control. All tangled in one?""Yes," she breathed.He tilted her chin with a single finger, brushing his thumb lightly along her jaw. The touch was electric, sending shivers down her spine. "And yet, you're here," he said, voice soft but firm. "You're not running."The words settled over her like a promise and a threat. She didn't step back. She couldn't. She was caught, willingly, in the pull of something far more dangerous than she had ever imagined.Then he kissed her.It was slow, deliberate, measured. Not gentle. Not soft. Every inch of it carried the weight of his control, his desire, his power. Adeline felt the tension in her body unravel and coil all at once. Her hands rested lightly on his chest, hesitant, trembling—but she didn't pull away.When he finally pulled back, their foreheads rested together, breaths mingling. His eyes searched hers, dark, intense, unreadable."You belong here," he murmured. "Not just because you've survived, but because you've chosen it. Chosen me."Adeline's heart pounded, a mixture of fear, exhilaration, and something she dared not name. "I… I don't know if I'm ready for this world," she whispered."You never will be," he said softly, "not fully. But you'll learn. And soon, you'll realize there's no other place you'd rather be."A shadow moved near the doorway—Lucas, standing as quietly as ever, an observer in the background. But Donovan's gaze never flicked toward him. Lucas was a part of this world, yes, but he was not the danger tonight. Tonight, the danger was Donovan himself—and the fire he ignited in her.Adeline stepped back reluctantly, knowing the moment was over, though its effects would linger. As she left the study, she could still feel the heat of him, the pull of his presence, and the promise of things that would never be simple, never be safe, and never be entirely hers.Outside, the moonlight seemed colder, sharper. The world had shifted while she had been inside. She was no longer just surviving—she was beginning to live inside Donovan's darkness. And she was not afraid.
