CHAPTER 32
Seraphina
The morning sunlight barely pierced the tall windows, yet I felt its warmth press against my skin, reminding me that life continued outside the estate.
I wandered through the hallways, fingers trailing along the carved wood of the banisters, trying to ground myself.
I could still see my father smiling at me, still hear his voice warning me about the dangers of trusting power.
I found myself in the library, settling among rows of books that smelled faintly of old paper and polish.
I tried to focus on research, on Syndicate movements, on anything but the ache in my chest, but Lucien’s presence lingered everywhere.
The memory of his stormy gaze, the force of his lips against mine and the suffocating tension of his closeness, was impossible to ignore.
I closed my eyes, trying to breathe through the storm of emotion. Rage. Desire. Grief. Love. Hate. They all collided inside me, leaving me raw. Every time I thought I could resist him, my mind betrayed me, replaying moments when I had pressed toward him instead of away. I hated myself for it.
However, I reminded myself that he had killed my father. Everything about him was dangerous, intoxicating and lethal, but I still craved him, as impossible as it felt. As much as I screamed at him, as much as I pushed him away, I was already tethered to him.