Chapter 43

• The cold air outside the villa bit against Kieran’s skin as he stepped onto the balcony, wrapping his arms around himself. Below, the glittering sprawl of the city stretched endlessly, a sea of lights masking the darkness simmering beneath.
• Isandro appeared behind him quietly, slipping his arms around Kieran’s waist without a word.
• For a while, they stood like that bodies close, the silence laced with the weight of everything unspoken.