Seraphina's Point Of View
"So…" he said slowly, each word measured and deliberate, his voice dripping with something dark, something knowing that twisted Simon's stomach into knots, "this isn't your first time, is it?"
Silence.
Not the kind that fades naturally or fills with awkward shuffling. The kind that presses down on your chest. That suffocates every breath in the room.
Simon's face… God.
It drained so fast it seemed almost unnatural, like someone had pulled the life straight out of him in one violent motion. The color fled from his cheeks, leaving behind a sickly pallor. His lips parted as if to speak, but no sound emerged, just a strangled breath that died in his throat.
His eyes… wide, glassy, trembling with barely contained terror locked onto Azriel like he wasn't looking at a man anymore. Like he was staring at something far worse. A demon dressed in a clean suit and calm control, but only barely holding it together beneath the surface.
