JASMINE'S POV
"Aiden?" I blinked, still half-dreaming. The hallway light behind him cast soft shadows across his face, making it hard to read his expression.
But I could feel it—something was off.
He didn't speak.
Just stepped closer.
Close enough that the warmth of his body pressed into the chill of my doorway. His scent, embers, pine, and something sharper curled around me like smoke, wrapping around my lungs and tightening my breath.
I opened my mouth. "Aiden—"
Still nothing.
His gaze locked with mine, and I saw the shift happen right then. Not a blink. Not a change in expression. Just a pull, like gravity, sucking the air from the room.
His eyes darkened, glowing faintly with that molten gold I'd only seen flashes of before. But now it wasn't a flicker. It was a firestorm barely contained.
I stepped back. "Aiden, what's happening?"
He blinked slowly, his breathing unusually calm. It felt almost too deliberate, like he was trying to keep his emotions in check.
