Demyan POV
The heavy cloak draped over my shoulders, its black fabric swallowing the last rays of evening light that filtered through the window. I adjusted the clasp with a practiced hand, but my fingers faltered as a faint scent lingered in the air, sweet, soft, and hauntingly familiar.
I turned slightly, eyes narrowing at the space near the hearth where the maid had stood just moments ago, placing the tray of water and fruit. She had bowed quickly and left without a word. But something… something in the way she moved, the way the air shifted around her…
Pearl.
My heart thudded once loud and sharp.
No. I clenched my jaw and shook the thought away. I was imagining things. Again.
I’d been thinking too much of her. Wanting her too much. Every time I closed my eyes, it was her face I s
