The manor didn't sleep.
Even after the argument, after Dorian vanished into the east wing and Lucien retreated to the library, Iman wandered the halls - drawn by something she couldn't name.
The air felt charged. Like the house was holding its breath.
She found herself in the west corridor, where the portraits hung. Elara's eyes followed her again, but this time... they felt different. Not watching. Waiting.
Iman paused beneath the frame. Her fingers brushed the edge of the canvas - and the wall behind it clicked.
A seam.
She pushed.
The panel gave way with a groan, revealing a narrow staircase spiraling downward into the darkness.
She hesitated. Then stepped inside.
The air grew colder with each step. Dust clung to her skin. The silence was thick, but not empty. It pulsed.
At the bottom, a stone chamber. Circular. Carved with symbols she didn't recognize - but her blood did. Her pulse quickened.
In the center: a pedestal. And on it, a book bound in deep red leather.
She reached for it.
The moment her fingers touched the cover, the room shuddered - a voice, soft, and broken filled the air.
"If you've found this... then I failed."
The voice was Elara's. Not just a recording, but something alive. Wounded. Waiting.
"They said I was too much. Too dangerous. But I only ever wanted to be free."
"Lucien tried. He always tries. But love isn't enough when the world is afraid of you."
"They watched me. Studied me. Called me a threat. I thought the bond would protect me. I was wrong."
"You feel it, don't you? The hunger. The heat beneath your skin. The memories that aren't yours."
It starts with dreams. Then the voices. Then the fire."
Iman's breath caught. The symbols on the walls pulsed faintly, like veins.
"They'll come for you, too. They always do. But you're not alone. Not like I was."
There's a name they fear. A name they buried. It's written in blood, hidden in the old tongue. Find it."
The voice faded, but the air hummed with her presence.
Iman clutched the book tighter. Her hands were shaking. Her heartbeat no longer felt like her own.