Chapter 69 Shadows Between Us

• Ariana stood alone on the balcony, the city glowing beneath her in fractured lights. The breeze kissed her skin, but it didn’t cool the burn inside her. She had barely slept. The events of the last twenty-four hours had folded over her like a tight shroud—too many threats, too many eyes, and too many questions that she wasn’t ready to answer.
• She heard the soft click of the sliding door behind her.
• “You didn’t come to bed,” Damien said quietly, stepping out barefoot, shirtless, his voice still thick from sleep.