THE ESTATE'S GATES appeared like a promise in the darkness—wrought iron gleaming under moonlight, wards humming with protective energy that Mailah could almost feel against her skin now. Funny how quickly the supernatural had become her new normal.
She pulled through slowly, the car's headlights sweeping across manicured gardens and ancient stone walls that had witnessed centuries of Ashford drama. Tonight's chaos would just be another footnote in the estate's long history, though Mailah suspected this particular chapter might be more memorable than most.
"Home," she murmured, the word feeling both strange and right on her tongue.
Grayson's hand found hers across the console, his thumb tracing idle patterns on her palm. "Home," he agreed quietly.
In the back seat, Oliver stirred, blinking awake with the disoriented confusion of someone who'd dozed off during a supernatural crisis and woken to normalcy.
