Lucius left with Romano, who escorted him back personally.
Inside the house, the air was thick and still.
Aurora woke slowly.
At first, she didn't move. Her breath caught in her throat.
It was dark. So dark that the ceiling blurred into nothingness. Her chest tightened before her mind could catch up.
For one terrifying moment, she thought she was back inside that house.
A memory rushed into her eyes without mercy. It was the closet. The narrow space where she found herself locked. Her hand rubbed raw against the wooden surface of it as she banged and begged for it to be opened.
Dominik's voice mocking her resounded in her ears like a slap.
"You've been bad, Aurora. You need to learn that you can only have what I give you."
No…
She squeezed her eyes shut and forced the image away.
After a while, the white noise ringing in her ears disappeared. The place before her was different.
She inhaled sharply, relief flooding over her.
