The mansion was unusually quiet that night. Aria could hear the faint ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall and the restless hum of her own heartbeat in her ears. Sleep had been impossible since the firelit exchange with Luca hours ago, his words echoing repeatedly in her head: You are my danger. You keep me human.
She wrapped herself tighter in her robe, barefoot on the cool marble floor as she wandered toward the kitchen. A glass of water, she told herself. Just water, and maybe the voice in her head would settle.
"Can't sleep either?"
The voice startled her. She spun, heart leaping, to find Luca leaning against the doorway. His shirt was untucked, sleeves rolled up, hair mussed as though he'd been pulling at it. He looked different, less Don, more man.
Aria narrowed her eyes. "Do you ever sleep at all?"
"Rarely," he admitted, stepping into the faint moonlight that streamed through the high windows. "Dreams aren't always kind to me."
