Serena was frozen, turned away from Elias, tears still streaking down her face. She didn't hear him go, didn't notice when he withdrew, but she felt the retreat that accompanied his leaving — the stillness following him like a tail. The air around her turned stagnant and heavy in her chest; there was a weight on her heart.
Lucian had appeared next to her, as imposing as before. There was a glint in his eyes, a combination of contentment and interest as he regarded her. "You did the right thing," he said in a low, somehow indifferent-sounding voice. "You belong to me, under my protection now."
