The atmosphere grew taut the moment Luca stepped out of the transparent elevator. The floor was vast and gleaming with white marble inscribed with silver runes, but all of that grandeur dimmed in comparison to the sharp, piercing voice that cut across the hall.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here?"
Luca's head snapped up. A woman stood leaning against a polished crystal column, arms crossed, lips curled into a smirk so sharp it seemed like it could slice the silence. Her eyes glinted with mockery, and for a second, Luca felt an odd sense of déjà vu prickle at the back of his mind. Have I seen her before?
Beside him, Seraphina's shoulders stiffened. She clicked her tongue, an almost imperceptible twitch of irritation crossing her usually calm face. Her sapphire eyes narrowed as she stepped forward with a languid grace, though the tension in her jaw betrayed her annoyance.
"What do you want, Janice?" she asked flatly, her tone like a knife wrapped in silk.
