The city had changed while they were gone.
Snow layered the sidewalks like sifted sugar, and the trees along the long private drive leading up to the mansion were bare. The sky outside the wide kitchen windows was the washed gray-blue of cold weather that wasn't quite ready to storm.
Inside, the air was warm. Someone had already adjusted the heating system for Elias's comfort the moment they landed, Victor didn't announce it, but the staff knew the routine. Elias liked the house warm now. Not hot. Just enough that he didn't shrink into himself.
Victor left the dining room only after making sure Elias finished eating. He brushed a hand once through Elias's hair before heading toward his office. The door shut quietly behind him.
His work had gotten heavier.
