Lyra's POV
I hadn't expected life as a caretaker to be like this. Not in a million years.
Leo Weston's estate was massive, cold, and unsettling. The halls were too quiet, the corners too dark, and the weight of it felt like it was constantly pressing down on me, suffocating. Every time Leo was near, I could feel it—the air thickening, my nerves tightening. He didn't just walk through this house; he owned it, commanded it, and everyone inside it bent to him.
Except me. Or at least, I liked to tell myself that.
"You're not afraid of him," I whispered under my breath as I headed down the long hallway toward Mira's room. "You're here to do a job."
But that was a lie, and I knew it. It was impossible not to feel the pull he had, the way the atmosphere changed when he entered a room. His presence was like a storm—a storm I was constantly aware of.
I knocked softly on Mira's door and stepped inside. She was sitting in her usual spot by the window, knees tucked to her chest, staring out at the gray sky. She looked so small, so fragile, and every time I saw her like this, it twisted something deep inside me. She didn't belong in a world like this. Neither of us did.
"Hey, Mira," I said gently, sitting down beside her. "Do you want to read today? I brought a story about a brave girl who—"
"No," she whispered, her voice barely audible. She didn't turn to look at me. She never did.
I sighed, forcing a smile. At least she said something. Small progress.
"All right. No books today," I said softly, rising from the floor. "Maybe tomorrow."
As I reached for the door, a familiar presence made the air shift. I froze.
Leo was standing in the hallway like a shadow, his dark eyes locked on me. My heart stuttered in my chest.
"Leo," I said, my voice shakier than I intended. "I didn't hear you."
He didn't say anything at first, just watched me with that unnerving intensity. His presence seemed to fill the entire hallway, suffocating the space between us. It was maddening how he could make me feel so off balance with just a look.
"I've been watching you with Mira," he said finally, his voice low and smooth, but there was an edge to it. A darkness. "You've been good for her."
The compliment caught me off guard. I hadn't expected him to say anything like that. "I'm trying my best," I replied, managing to sound somewhat calm.
Leo took a step closer, and suddenly the hallway felt too small. His gaze never left mine, heavy and magnetic. "You're different," he murmured, taking another slow step. "Not like the others."
"The others?" I repeated, my pulse quickening.
He smiled then, but it wasn't warm. It was cold, calculated, like he was enjoying a game I hadn't realized I was playing. "The people who come through my life. They're all the same. Weak. Afraid."
I forced myself to stand my ground, even as every instinct told me to put some distance between us. "And what do you think I am?"
"I haven't decided yet," he said, his voice a low rumble.
A shiver ran through me, despite the heat I could feel rising between us. I should have stepped back, created space, but I couldn't. His eyes were like a trap, pulling me deeper into something I wasn't ready for. Something dangerous.
"I'm just here for Mira," I said, trying to sound firm, trying to remind him—and myself—of my place.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze narrowing. "Is that all?"
Before I could answer, his hand brushed my arm, a light touch, but it burned like fire. My breath caught, my heart racing as heat flooded my skin. I hated how my body reacted to him, how it betrayed me.
I took a step back, pulling away from his touch, my pulse hammering. "I don't know what you think this is, but I'm not interested in playing games with you, Leo."
His smile faded, replaced by something darker. More dangerous. He stepped closer again, until there was barely any space left between us. "You think you can resist this?"
I swallowed hard, my back hitting the wall. "I think I have to."
"You're already in," he said, his voice dropping to a near whisper, his breath brushing against my skin. "You're part of this world now. And once you're in, Lyra, there's no going back."
My stomach twisted with a mix of fear and something else—something I didn't want to acknowledge. His words wrapped around me like a trap, and I could feel the power he held in every syllable. But I wouldn't let him win. I couldn't.
"I don't belong in your world," I shot back, trying to sound stronger than I felt. "I'm not like you."
"No," he murmured, his lips dangerously close to my ear. "You're not. But that's why you're here. You think you're just here for Mira, but we both know that's not true anymore."
I wanted to shove him away, to run, to do anything that would put distance between us. But before I could move, his hand grazed my cheek, his touch sending a jolt of heat through my body. I hated the way my breath hitched, the way my pulse quickened under his fingers.
"You're in deeper than you think, Lyra," he whispered, his voice like a promise laced with danger. "And you're not getting out."
I pushed him back, breaking the spell between us, my chest heaving. "I'm not yours, Leo."
His eyes flashed with something dangerous, a flicker of rage beneath the surface. "You already are."
The tension between us was suffocating, the air thick with heat. I couldn't tell if I was more terrified or more drawn to him. Maybe both.
He stepped back, his gaze still locked on mine. "Stay away from Blackwood," he said, his voice sharp, commanding. "He won't stop until he has you. And when he does... I'll deal with him. But you'll be mine."
Before I could respond, he turned and disappeared down the hallway, leaving me standing there, my heart rac
ing, my thoughts spinning out of control.
What the hell had I gotten myself into?