ADELE’S POV

The silence in the cellar was deafening after Harrison’s body went still. The air felt thicker now, heavy with the metallic tang of blood and the musty dampness that clung to everything.

I stood there, chest heaving like I’d run a marathon. The adrenaline crashed through me—hot, shaky—making my legs feel like jelly. Lucien’s arms were around me, tight and protective, his breath warm against my hair. I could feel his heart slamming against my back, matching the frantic beat of mine.

“Are you okay?” I whispered, twisting in his hold to look up at him. My voice came out rough, scraped raw from the screams.

He nodded—quick,...