The room was quiet, but not peaceful. The kind of quiet that still hummed faintly with the distant whir of electronics, the occasional creak of settling wood, and the muffled ticking of the wall clock that seemed louder in the stillness. The light from the desk lamp pooled across the coffee table, leaving the rest of the living room in a comfortable shadow.
Yue Ling didn't remember closing her eyes. One moment, she'd been sitting upright, reviewing surveillance feeds on the laptop with Lu Tian while Inu rested his chin on her lap. Then, her body had surrendered to exhaustion.
Her breathing had slowed, the phone in her hand tilted, and her head had sunk back into the couch cushion.
It was Inu who stirred first, a soft huff, ears flicking, seconds before the sharp vibration and shrill ring of her phone tore through the stillness. The sound felt like it was right in her bones, dragging her from sleep in an abrupt, almost violent way.
