Azriel's Point Of View
The silence after Elias's last words stretched longer than it should have. I remained by the glass, staring down at the city like it held answers. It didn't. All it reflected was me, and I didn't like what I was seeing tonight.
My jaw tightened.
Why is she still in my head? Why is her voice still echoing in places it shouldn't reach? Why does her expression, that infuriating mix of defiance and heat, refuse to fade?
I exhaled slowly.
This is ridiculous. I picked up my glass and downed it in a go.
The whiskey burned its way down my throat, but it did nothing to dull the ache in my chest… the one that had started the moment I watched her walk away.
Seraphina.
Just her name in my head was enough to make my fingers twitch, my pulse kick up, my mind spiral into a mess of questions I couldn't answer. I exhaled sharply through my nose, the sound rough, almost a laugh. Almost. But not quite.
