Isla POV

I entered my office with Carmilla following behind me. She shut the door, and the click of the lock echoed through the quiet room. I sat at my desk, watching her as she hovered near the door, her hands clasped in front of her, her weight shifting from one foot to the other.

She looked nervous. Genuinely nervous. Not the confident, playful Carmilla I had come to know. This was someone else entirely.

"Take a seat," I said.

"Oh, okay." She smiled awkwardly, then crossed the room and sat down in the chair across from me. Her posture was stiff, her shoulders tense.

I leaned back in my...