He should have called security. Should have looked away. Instead, he set down his glass and walked to the edge of his own balcony, the rain slicking his hair to his forehead.
The neon glow of the lower city painted the rain in shades of bruised purple and electric blue. Kaelen stood on the balcony of his penthouse, a glass of synth-whiskey sweating in his hand, watching the endless crawl of traffic below. He had everything—wealth, power, a name that made boardrooms tremble. But the air up here was thin, sterile, and lonely.
She stepped off the ledge. For a heartbeat, she fell. Then her wings unfurled—not to lift her, but to wrap the night around her like a cloak. She glided across the chasm between them, silent as a secret, and landed on his balcony with a whisper of displaced air. Wings Of Seduction
Kaelen should have asked what the price was. Should have demanded terms, guarantees, a contract signed in blood and legalese.
That’s when he saw her.
She turned, and her eyes were twin novae—burning, ancient, utterly inhuman. A smile curved her lips, slow and knowing. “No one is supposed to be anywhere, Kaelen. Haven’t you learned that yet?”
She wasn’t flying. She was waiting.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” he called out, his voice steadier than he felt.