Moments later,

Author

Virgo came to her at dusk.

She didn't knock. She never knocked. She simply appeared in the safehouse doorway, holding a garment bag that looked like it contained a body. Which, in a way, it did.

"You're late," Aria said.

"I'm precise. You're impatient." Virgo hung the bag on the doorframe. "Try it on."

Aria unzipped the bag. The gown inside was midnight blue. High neck. Long sleeves. A back slit that ran from shoulder blade to hip, designed for movement, not display. The fabric was silk woven with something else. Something that caught the light and threw it back wrong, like oil on water.

"What's the...