---
Her beauty was the type that made lesser men forget to breathe.
Not because it was gentle.
Because it was dangerous.
Her lips were full. Her eyes were sharp. Her expression was calm, but it carried the kind of confidence that only survived if it had killed its rivals.
Her name was Selene.
She was one of Klaus's favored lieutenants. Not a wife, not a concubine, not a toy. Klaus did not play those games with his strongest tools. He owned them through fear, oath, and the simple fact that his shadow was safer than the world outside it.
Selene stopped at a respectful distance and bowed her head slightly.
"Lord Klaus," she said.
Klaus did not look away from the empty space in front of him, as if he was staring at something only he could see.
Selene continued, voice controlled.
"That is not possible."
Klaus's eyes shifted to her slowly.
The movement was unhurried, but it made Selene's spine straighten as if the air had suddenly become heavier.
