The storm raged on outside, wind howling through the cracks in the manor's aged walls. Sera's heartbeat echoed in her ears as she stepped deeper into the grand hall, the eerie whisper still curling in her mind.
The door groaned shut behind her, sealing her inside.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to breathe This was just an old house.
Then why did the air feel charged, as if unseen eyes were watching her every move?
The chandeliers above remained dark, but the faint glow of candlelight flickered from deeper within the house ,Someone had been here Someone had lit those flames.
Her boots clicked against the marble floor as she followed the dim light, her pulse thrumming with anticipation. She moved past towering bookshelves, velvet curtains heavy with dust, and portraits of men with unreadable expressions all of them watching her.
Then she saw him.
At the end of the hallway, past the flickering candlelight, stood a man,his figure outlined in the mist curling through the open balcony doors.
Sera's breath caught.
He was tall, his dark hair tousled by the wind, his sharp features half-lit by the glow of the storm. His coat was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the ghost of a scar along his throat. But it was his eyes that held her still,silver, piercing, filled with something ancient.
He shouldn't be here.
Yet, he looked as though he had belonged to this house forever.
Sera stepped closer. "Who are you?"
The man tilted his head, his gaze tracing over her like he was seeing something he wasn't sure was real, "You shouldn't be here."
His voice was deep, edged with something unreadable, A warning? A plea?
Sera squared her shoulders. "I was invited."
A muscle in his jaw tensed. "By whom?"
She reached into her coat, pulling out the letter, His gaze flickered down, and for a moment *just a moment**his expression changed Recognition, Pain,
Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
"There are no invitations to this house," he murmured.
The wind whipped through the open balcony doors, sending a candle flickering. The shadows in the hallway deepened.
Sera gripped the letter tighter. "Then why did I receive one?"
His gaze darkened, "Because this house wants you."
Her stomach twisted. The house?
Before she could speak, the wind slammed the balcony doors shut, snuffing out the candlelight. Darkness swallowed the hallway.
And when she turned back the man was gone.