(Amelia Carter's POV)
The night carried a strange scent that Amelia could not explain.
It was not the usual smell of rain-soaked earth or the faint sweetness from the lilac bush outside her window. This scent was heavier, almost metallic, as though something sharp and dangerous lingered in the air. It made her uneasy, though she could not say why.
She turned in her bed and pulled the blanket closer to her chest, hoping sleep would come back to her, but it did not. The room felt too quiet, and the silence pressed against her ears until even the slow creak of the ceiling fan sounded loud.
Then she heard it.
A soft tapping sound.
Amelia's eyes opened at once, and she lay still, listening carefully. For a moment, she wondered if she had imagined it, but the sound came again, clearer this time. It came from the direction of her window.
Her throat tightened.
"Who's there?" she called out, her voice low but unsteady.
There was no answer, only the gentle movement of the curtains as the wind slipped into the room. The moonlight filtered through the thin fabric, casting pale shadows along the walls.
Amelia pushed herself up slowly, her heart beating faster with each second. She did not expect anyone at this hour, and no one ever came unannounced. The uneasiness she felt earlier deepened into something colder, something that made her hesitate before taking a step forward.
Still, she forced herself to move.
The floor felt cold beneath her feet as she walked toward the window. With each step, the strange scent grew stronger, and she could now recognize it more clearly. It reminded her of iron, sharp and unmistakable, and it made her stomach twist.
She reached the window and paused. For a brief moment, she considered turning back, but curiosity and a strange pull held her in place. Gathering what little courage she had, she lifted her hand and pushed the window open.
A rush of cold air entered the room at once, brushing against her skin and carrying that metallic scent with it.
That was when she saw him.
He stood across the street, unmoving, as though he had been waiting for her. His figure was tall and dark, blending almost too perfectly with the night around him. Though the distance made it difficult to see his face clearly, she could feel his gaze fixed on her.
Amelia's breath caught in her throat.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice stronger now, though fear lingered beneath it.
The man did not answer immediately. Instead, he began to walk toward her, his steps slow and deliberate, as though he had nowhere else to be and all the time in the world to get there.
A chill ran through her body.
"Stop," she said, more firmly this time.
He did not stop.
The closer he came, the stronger the scent became, filling her senses until it was almost suffocating. It carried something else now, something darker, something that made her instinctively step back.
Without thinking, she shut the window and locked it quickly, her hands trembling despite her effort to stay calm.
This was not normal. Nothing about the situation made sense, and yet the fear she felt was very real.
As she stepped away from the window, one thought settled heavily in her mind.
Whoever that man was, he was not someone she should ever have met.
(Ethan Blackwood's POV)
Ethan watched her retreat from the window with a quiet intensity that did not waver.
For years, he had searched, following nothing more than a faint connection that refused to break. There had been moments when he doubted it, when he thought time had erased what once existed, but the instant she appeared before him, he knew those doubts had been foolish.
He could sense her clearly now.
Her presence was unmistakable, warm and alive in a way that drew him closer without effort. The night air carried her scent to him, soft yet distinct, and it stirred something deep within him that he had not felt in a long time.
"It is you," he said quietly, though he knew she could no longer hear him.
He continued walking until he stood directly beneath her window. The faint glow of light from inside the room outlined her silhouette through the curtains, and he allowed himself a brief moment to take it in.
She had not recognized him.
That did not surprise him. Too much time had passed, and too much had changed. Still, it did not matter. Recognition would come later.
What mattered was that he had found her.
Ethan placed a hand lightly against the wall of the building, his expression calm, though his thoughts were anything but.
"You cannot hide from this," he murmured.
The bond between them had awakened the moment their eyes met, and he could already feel it strengthening, pulling at him with quiet persistence. It was not something that could be ignored or broken.
Not anymore.
A faint smile touched his lips, though there was no warmth in it.
"I will come for you," he said, his voice low and certain.
This time, he would not lose her.