Lucian
The banging came hard and fast—violent knocks that shattered the silence.
Mara! Mara!
I jolted upright.
She stirred too, clearly dazed, hair tousled, eyes foggy with sleep. She moved toward the door, still trying to process the noise.
“Don’t,” I said, stepping into her room just as she reached for the handle.
She turned, surprised to see me there. She hadn’t expected me to be home. That much was obvious.
“It’s Darian,” she said.
And just like that, I frowned.
What the hell was Darian doing here? And why at my wing of the house?
Mara, please! Open the door!
Her hand froze on the handle. I didn’t stop her. Maybe I should have.
She opened the door.
Darian burst in like a man unhinged—shirtless, drenched in sweat, breathing like he’d sprinted across the entire estate.
“Mar
