Aria's fingernails dug so hard into her crossed forearms they left deep, crescent-moon indentations in her skin.
She stood frozen by the bedroom doorframe, her heart hammering a frantic, terrifying rhythm against her ribs.
She was terrified.
They lived in a fortress. The penthouse was protected by biometric scanners, private elevators, and elite mercenaries stationed at every access point in the building. If someone had managed to breach their perimeter—
'What if he's hurt?' Aria panicked, her breathing turning shallow. 'What if there's more than one of them? What if he's already dead?'
She took a shaky step forward.
"AIEEEEE!"
The high-pitched, blood-curdling, distinctly girly shriek tore through the quiet penthouse.
And then, Damien's voice roared in disbelief: "What the fuck, Diana?!"
Aria stopped dead in her tracks.
She blinked.
