POV: Dante
Aurora's report sleeps encrypted on the server like a bomb wrapped in velvet.
Three credentials. Three keys. Sebastian's, hers... and mine.
I close the console. The shadow level is silent. Aurora types across the hall; Umbra processes, ventilates, thinks. Upstairs, the tower goes about its day as if nothing has changed.
I know something has changed.
I know it even before the channel that almost no one dares to use with me beeps.
A discreet notification appears in the corner of the screen:
Encrypted channel: Valcourt_E. Contact request.
I exhale slowly.
"Of course," I murmur.
I accept.
The image takes a second to stabilize. Elias Valcourt appears seated in an office that is too white for my taste. Impeccable suit, perfectly centered tie, pale skin, light eyes. He doesn't need visible fangs to look dangerous.
"Dante Noir," he greets me. "It's been a while."
"It's never enough," I reply.
He smiles, as if it were a private joke.
