Emily stared at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable, her gaze betraying nothing of whatever storm might be stirring inside her.
At first glance, she looked like someone who had just awakened and was still fighting off the fog of sleep, but the clarity in her eyes contradicted that impression.
Her eyes were bright, alert, and all too sober, as though she had been awake long before he stepped inside.
Lucian drew in a quiet breath. Even though he knew his conscience was clean regarding everything that had transpired tonight, the look she gave him was unsettling enough to make him lower his head like a chastised student bracing for reprimand for failing a test.
It was creepy.
"Darling," he called softly, the name slipping out of his lips and stunning them both.
For the first time since he stepped in, Emily's eyes showed a flicker of surprise and then dimmed, but Lucian could feel a faint weariness oozing from her body like warmth.
