Chapter 45
Ariana did not move.
She kept her eyes on Augustus as he stood in the broken doorway, like he had always been there. He looked calm, almost relaxed, as if nothing in this place could affect him.
That was what bothered her the most.
Too calm.
The darkness around him spread slowly across the floor. It moved quietly, like something alive, until it reached her golden light. The moment the two forces touched, the air changed.
Ariana felt it in her chest.
A tight pressure.
Not enough to hurt her.
But enough to warn her.
Something was wrong.
"You should not be here," she said.
Her voice was steady, but she could feel the tension building inside her.
Augustus smiled slightly, like he found her words amusing.
"And yet, here I am."
His voice filled the chamber in a strange way. It did not echo like a normal voice. It settled into the space, heavy and firm, like it belonged there.
