𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐄
The mansion swallowed me just as thoroughly as the forest had.
Only this time, it was not earth and shadow, but marble, silence, and the sterile polish of wealth. My claws skidded on smooth floors, momentum carrying me too far before I corrected, my shoulder clipping a column hard enough to jolt my teeth. I used the momentum anyway, pivoting off the impact and veering down the first corridor without slowing.
The glow clung to me, reflected and fractured in tall mirrors and glass-paneled walls, turning me into something feral and luminous—something that did not belong here.
I was calling too much attention to myself. I needed to hide.
Kaia withdrew into my flesh, my feet touching the ground while my forelimbs shifted into hands at my sides. I listened for Mikhail but found nothing. He was still in the fields, following the scent I'd left behind.
I still had time.
