A sharp burst of appreciative laughter and cheer came from the crowd.
Kieran clenched his jaw.The echo of their applause was nothing but noise.
He strode towards the grand hall like a shadow slicing through light.Too fast.
The red carpet lay beneath his boots like a suggestion he never asked for…and as usual, he ignored it.
He did not hold Lyla's hand. Did not wait for her to catch up. Did not bother offering her his arm.
If anything, her dainty steps behind him grated at his nerves.
Each second he had to spend in that car beside her, was like torturing his soul.
Her silence did not help either.
He hated this.
Even the mask he was wearing could not hide the tension in his eyes. His gaze scanned the place…not for danger, but for distraction. Anything to get him out of his own head.
That was when he felt it.
Not a tug.
Not a jolt.
Something… other...nothing he could explain with words.
His body stilled.
