*Nyla*
"Welcome to Silvermist," the sign read. Cute, small-town charm with a dark name that didn't sit right with me.
I pulled my duffel bag out of the backseat and took a deep breath. The air here felt heavier. Wilder.
"Try not to get yourself killed," my Aunt Maris muttered, lighting a cigarette behind the wheel. She wasn't one for hugs.
"You're really selling this place," I deadpanned.
"You asked to start over. This is over."
I rolled my eyes and stepped onto the gravel path toward the old boarding house. I didn't know much about Silvermist except that it was tucked deep in the forest and barely had cell service. But something about it... called to me.
Like the dream.
The land felt alive.
Inside, the house was cozy, rustic, and oddly silent. Until a voice—low and laced with dominance—slid through the air behind me.
"You're not from around here."
I turned. And forgot how to breathe.
He stood in the doorway like he owned the world. Tall, broad-shouldered, black shirt stretched across a chest that deserved to be illegal. His eyes—familiar amber—locked onto mine like a puzzle snapping into place.
"No," I managed. "I just got in."
He didn't blink. "I'm Damon."
I swallowed. *Of course you are.*
"Nice to meet you," I said, voice shakier than I liked.
But his gaze—sharp, heated, almost knowing—never left me.
He tilted his head slightly. "You should be careful here."
"Why?"
He smiled. But it didn't reach his eyes.
"Not everything in Silvermist is what it seems."
And just like that, he was gone.
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