Selis peeked around the corner and spotted him: the next stationed guard. He stood rigid by the carved double-doors—muscular, bored, and humming an awful lumberjack tune.

One hand on his spear, the other picking at a splinter in his gauntlet. Clearly, he was not expecting someone to burst through his quiet on-duty boredom.

Selis swallowed. "Alright, big fella. Time to be friendly . . . or incapacitatingly not."

She drew a breath, straightened her shoulders, and marched forward like a confident tourist in the wrong country—completely sure she belonged here.

A sudden CLATTER from behind her—likely a wet rat slipping off a pipe—made her heart leap. The guard snapped his head around.

That was her cue.

She lunged, slamming her elbow into his ribs while swinging her improvised battle staff (a hollowed-out maintenance wand she'd discreetly stolen earlier). The guards grunted, stumbled, and Selis followed up with a swift kick to their groin. The two hit the ground with a groan.

She paused, dusted off her hands, and muttered, "Rookie mistake . . . missile strike to the dignity always works."

The guards lay there, out cold. Selis didn't waste a moment—she stashed his spear behind a pillar, gave him a decisive kick just to confirm sleep, and marched into the double-doors.

Inside was an elegant chamber, illuminated by holy lamps and stained glass. Words like "inner sanctum" did not do it justice—it was more like a silent cathedral corridor lined with locked side-rooms, each bearing cryptic runes and sacred symbols.

A relaxing breeze wafted down the hall. Soft music trickled from unseen vents. Maybe a choir singing? It almost felt like the center of heaven, except for the faint odor of decaying incense and power.

Selis summoned all her composure and wrapped her cloak tighter as she stepped forward. "Emerald's room—here I come," she whispered.

She imagined dramatic curtains parting, Emerald rising gracefully from a velvet dais, still wearing half her performance costume—just the way she'd fengshuied it in her head.

Instead, she found . . . a modest room with a single canopy bed.

And in that bed—naked from the waist up—lay Lucian, sleeping like he'd conquered the world. His hair fell against a bronze pillow, his breathing serene, chest rising in calm rhythm despite his bandaged ribs.

Selis froze.

Hee . . . hee was . . .

Clearly not Emerald.

She exhaled sharply—and in that very moment, Lucian's golden lashes fluttered open.

Oh gods.

She should've expected complications. She really should have.

He looked at her—and the look wasn't surprise. It was annoyance.

Quickly, she averted her eyes and clamped a hand to her mouth. "Uh . . . hey there. Glad that you're fine."

Lucian glared at her like he would kill him if he could just move.

"You—what are you doing here!" Lucian barked, his voice sharp and cutting through the still air like a blade unsheathed.

Selis froze like a guilty cat caught mid-sprint on a banquet table.

Before she could come up with a convincing excuse—or even an incoherent one—the faint sound of rattling armor echoed from the hallway beyond the door.

"Oh no," she whispered.

The rattling grew louder.

Lucian turned toward the sound, eyes narrowing. "Guards."

Without thinking, Selis bolted across the room like a startled cat and dove—headfirst—into Lucian's bed.

In one fluid motion that probably looked far more graceful in her head than it did in reality, she yanked the blanket over herself and curled into a defensive ball near the edge of the mattress.

Lucian, who had just started to sit up from the stiff linen pillows, blinked in utter confusion.

"What—what the hell are you doing?"

"Shh!" she hissed from under the covers. "Just go with it! Trust me, I have a very good reason for being here!"

Lucian groaned as he tried to shift, but winced visibly. His body still ached all over from the battle, muscles screaming in protest, and he had strict orders from the healers not to move unless it was absolutely necessary.

"You're a spy aren't you? You're working with the vampires. That's why you're here."

"Not right now, okay?" Selis whisper-yelled, her voice muffled under the thick blanket. "I'll explain everything after you send them away. Just—please—don't let them capture me."

The knocking on Lucian's chamber door grew more insistent, the deep voices of the guards filtering through. One of them even called his name.

"Captain Lucian, we're entering now! We have orders to check on you—there's been an incident!"

Lucian didn't move right away. His golden eyes narrowed down at the blanket-shaped lump on his bed—where Selis was currently curled like an overgrown rodent hiding from judgment day.

"And why," he said lowly, "should I believe a single word you say?"

"I'm not a threat," she pleaded, poking her head out just enough for him to see her wide eyes. "If you let them capture me, they'll throw me in the dungeons. Or worse, kill me. You'll never know the truth about why I'm here. I'm not a vampire—I wouldn't have gotten this far if I was. The wards would've lit me up like a bonfire."

Lucian's scowl depend. His posture didn't give anything away, but the sharp edge in his gaze made Selis swallow.

"I'm just a regular human. And yes, I broke in. But I came here because something's wrong. You can kill me after this. Just let me explain first. Please."

Her voice cracked at the end—not from fear, but sheer exhaustion. Her eyes were tired. Desperate. She'd been through too much to stop here, and she knew he could see that.

Lucian didn't respond.

The latch on the door clicked.

Selis held her breath, heart thundering in her ears. Her whole body tensed under the covers.

This is it, she thought. He's going to hand me over. I knew it. Why did I even—

Then Lucian's voice cut through the silence like a blade.

"I'm fine," he called out, tone calm but commanding.

The door cracked open, revealing two armored guards, one of whom had a smear of blood across his armguard.

"Sir," one of them said, stepping inside quickly. "There's been a breach. Someone attacked the guard posted outside your chamber. We think the intruder may have made it into this wing."