The door creaked open.
Laura didn't move.
She didn't need to look to know it was him. His presence filled the room before she even saw him. That heavy feeling, thick and impossible to ignore, pressing into the air like a storm about to break.
Lucian Blackwood.
She turned her head just as he stepped inside, carrying a tray in one hand. The smell of hot meat and fresh bread filled the air, making her stomach hurt with hunger. How long since she last ate? One day? Two? The hours had blurred together in this stone room.
But he didn't come closer.
Didn't speak.
Didn't put the food down.
Instead, he stood by the door, watching her with those silver eyes that gave nothing away. Waiting.
Laura's heart beat faster against her ribs. She had seen this before. A test.
Would she beg? Would sh
