The heavy front door of the river house unlocked with a smooth, mechanical click.
Rain fell outside in steady, vertical sheets, hammering against the dark glass of the entryway.
Cael Alexander stepped across the threshold.
He didn't shake the water from his coat. He didn't turn on the entryway chandelier. He simply stood in the entryway, the cold air from the riverbank rushing in behind him before Thomas quietly closed the heavy oak door behind him.
Silence hit him immediately.
The open-concept living space stretched into shadowy corners, the high ceilings catching the faint, rhythmic hum of the overworked air conditioning unit.
Automatically, without thinking, Cael reached a hand toward the dark hallway leading to the gallery kitchen. The movement was an instinct honed over months living with his fiancée.
"...Love?" he called.
The word was quiet, low in his chest.
Nothing.
