-Lucien Draven:
I watched her leave.
My chest ached in ways I hadn't felt in decades—ways I'd promised myself I would never feel again.
The sound of her footsteps faded down the corridor, leaving behind an ache that settled deep in my chest.
I stood frozen, staring at the place where she had been just moments ago.
Why did she come after me?
Why couldn't she see that this—whatever was happening between us—could never be?
I clenched my fists, trying to steady the storm brewing beneath my skin. My heart—still cursed with its human rhythm—thudded painfully against my ribs.
I hated it.
I hated how easily Elara had slipped under my defenses. How her smile, her warmth, had unraveled pieces of me I'd buried long ago.
I'd spent over a century shutting the world out, convincing myself I didn't need anyone—that I was safer alone.
But then she came along.
With her endless questions. Her laughter. Her stubborn insistence that I wasn't the monster everyone believed me to be.
