The moment Nerine's eyes met his, the world seemed to stop breathing.
She stood in the doorway, light spilling over her like a shroud, her expression torn between disbelief and hurt. Shadows clung to the edges of her pale dress, and her heartbeat echoed in the silence that filled the old home.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered, her voice breaking through the stillness like the crack of frost.
Kael stood just beyond the threshold, his cloak still damp from the air. The moonlight made his dark hair gleam faintly, but his eyes—those storm-gray eyes—were unreadable, heavy with something raw and unguarded.
"Looking for you," he said simply.
Her breath caught. She took a shaky step back. "You shouldn't have."
His brow furrowed. "Why not?"
"Because I don't want you around right now," she blurted, clutching the edge of the doorframe as though it might steady her. "Not after everything."
Kael's jaw flexed. He stepped inside, the floorboards creaking under his boots. "Nerine—"
