SERAPHINA'S POV
"Doesn't this man get any sleep?" I muttered under my breath, watching Nicholas sit there like a statue carved from ice and shadow.
I forced a smile onto my face as I stepped further into the room, trying to look harmless, grateful, anything but the liar I was. "I… I needed to see her. She's a good friend, and I couldn't sleep with the pain in my arm. So I decided to come over."
Nicholas stood up fully, towering over me in the dim lamplight. His eyes narrowed, cold and piercing, stripping away every layer of my pretense.
"And who told you that you have the right to decide anything, Lola?" he asked firmly, voice low but carrying the weight of absolute authority.
Words failed me.
My mouth opened, but nothing came out. I turned toward the door, ready to flee before his suspicion could dig any deeper.
"You can stay for a while," he said suddenly, stopping me in my tracks. "And you got the antidote quite on time."
