CHAPTER 3 – THE FACE IN THE SHADOWS

The candlelight flickered violently before dying out.

The wind howled against the museum’s massive windows, carrying a whisper that felt too human to be the storm.

Evangelina froze, her breath shallow as darkness swallowed the room whole.

The air felt different now. Thicker. Heavy, as if the space around her had suddenly shrunk.

But the worst part was the feeling against her back.

Heat.

A slow, deliberate warm breath against her neck.

Her spine locked in place.

No. This isn’t real.

There was no one else in the room.

And yet, the sensation was too real to be imagined.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, the dampness of her blouse clinging to her skin, mixing the raw edge of fear with something else entirely.

Then, she felt it.

Not a touch.

Not yet.

Just a breath—soft, slow, teasing, tracing the curve of her throat.

The voice that followed was deep, dark, and intimate. A whisper too low to be fully heard, but too clear to be ignored.

—You’ve found me.

Evangelina shuddered.

Her body tightened, betraying her mind.

A slow, burning chill traveled down her spine.

Her thighs pressed together instinctively.

Her heartbeat thundered in her throat, and for the first time, she wasn’t sure if it was fear… or something far worse.

The warmth wrapping around her, the presence pressing against her, didn’t feel unfamiliar.

It felt like something she had known before.

She wanted to move. To run.

But she didn’t.

Because deep down… her body didn’t want to.

It wanted to know what would happen if she stayed.