The alarm continued for another twelve seconds before abruptly cutting off across the residence floor. The silence afterward felt worse, sharper, and more dangerous.
Lucien stood near the private hallway entrance while security updates moved rapidly through his earpiece. His posture remained controlled, but Seraphina could see the tension beneath it now. He did not fear for himself; instead, he feared that the situation had come too close to her.
Elias's voice came through again over the secured system. "The suspect has been contained on level thirty-eight."
Lucien did not relax. "Alive?"
"Yes," Elias responded.
"Keep him isolated," Lucien said.
"We are already moving him to a secondary location," Elias replied.
Lucien ended the communication without another word, and then he turned back toward Seraphina immediately. She had not moved from the sofa, not because she could not, but because her body suddenly felt strangely disconnected from the room around her.
