Run: 2026-02-19-01KHSYYZFQH0PEQ9V6TRDPWXDC

The scent of cardamom and cumin wafted up from the curry house below as Aurora opened her door. Her fingers froze on the handle. Lucien Moreau stood in her doorway, his platinum hair gleaming under the hallway's fluorescent lights. His mismatched eyes fixed on her face while his ivory-handled cane tapped once against the worn carpet. "What are you doing here?" The words came out sharper than she intended. "Bonsoir to you too, chérie." His lips curved into that infuriating half-smile she remembered too well. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" Aurora's grip tightened on the door. "That depends. Are you here to apologize, or to drag me into another one of your schemes?" "Can't it be both?" He leaned against the doorframe, close enough that she caught the familiar notes of his cologne – sandalwood and something darker she'd never been able to place. "No." But she stepped back, letting him enter. Old habits died hard. Lucien swept past her, his charcoal suit immaculate as always. He paused in the center of her cramped living room, taking in the scattered delivery receipts from the Golden Empress and the half-drunk cup of tea on her coffee table. His cane clicked against the hardwood as he turned. "You look well, Aurora." "Stop it." She crossed her arms. "Just tell me why you're here." "Such hostility." He settled onto her worn sofa like he belonged there. "Perhaps I missed our little chats." "Our chats?" Aurora barked out a laugh. "You mean the ones where you fed me half-truths about supernatural politics while using me as bait?" His mismatched eyes darkened. "You know that's not what happened." "Do I?" She paced to the window, watching the Friday night crowds below on Brick Lane. "Because from where I'm standing, you got what you wanted – information about Evan's connection to the demon realm. Then you disappeared." "I left to protect you." "Bullshit." She spun to face him. "You left because things got complicated. Because whatever was happening between us scared you more than any demon from Avaros." Lucien's fingers tightened on his cane. For a moment, his carefully constructed facade cracked. "You have no idea what I-" He cut himself off, jaw clenching. "What you what, Lucien?" She stepped closer, heart hammering. "What you felt? What you still feel?" The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words. Outside, a siren wailed in the distance. The curry house's spices seemed to grow stronger, mixing with the tension in the air until it was hard to breathe. "I never meant to hurt you." His voice was soft, almost lost in the ambient noise of the city. "But you did." Aurora sank into the armchair across from him. "God, do you know how many nights I waited? How many times I checked my phone, hoping you'd call? Even after everything with Evan was resolved, you just... vanished." Lucien leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I told myself it was better this way. That someone like me – half-demon, neck-deep in supernatural politics – could only bring danger to your door." "That wasn't your choice to make." "No." His eyes met hers. "It wasn't." Aurora's chest ached with the weight of all they'd left unsaid. She remembered late nights pouring over ancient texts, his shoulder brushing hers as they traced demon sigils. The way he'd looked at her that night in the rain, when they'd finally tracked down Evan's demonic contacts. The almost-kiss before everything went to hell. "Why now?" she whispered. "Why show up at my door after all this time?" Lucien's fingers drummed once on his cane. "Because I was wrong. And because I need your help." "Of course you do." She laughed, but there was no humor in it. "That's always how it starts with you, isn't it?" "Aurora." He stood, crossing the space between them in two fluid strides. His hand reached for hers, then dropped. "I'm not here just for your help. I'm here because I couldn't stay away any longer."