The sound came again.
Soft.
Right outside the door.
Lyra’s heart, which had just begun to steady, picked up all over again.
Kael didn’t move immediately, but the tension in his body shifted. Alert. Controlled. Ready.
“Did you hear that?” Lyra asked quietly.
“Yes.”
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Because both of them already knew—
Someone was there.
Lyra’s gaze flicked to the door, then back to Kael. For a brief second, neither of them moved, as if stepping away would make everything that just happened more real.
Then Kael stepped back.
The distance felt wrong.
Too sudden.
Too cold.
Lyra swallowed lightly, forcing her thoughts to focus. “You should go.”
Kael’s eyes stayed on her. “You want me to?”
The question lingered longer than it should have.
Lyra hesitated.
Because the ans
