Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTX6HF4ZM2G2G45S90D31AR

The door swung open, revealing Rory standing there, her straight shoulder-length black hair slightly disheveled from the London wind. She hadn't been expecting anyone, especially not him. Her bright blue eyes widened in surprise as they landed on Lucien Moreau, leaning against the doorframe with his ivory-handled cane. "Lucien. What are you doing here?" The half-demon offered a half-smile, his heterochromatic eyes—one amber, one black—studying her face. "Is that any way to greet an old friend, Aurora?" Rory's jaw tightened at the use of her full name. "We're not friends. Not anymore." Lucien stepped forward without invitation, his tailored charcoal suit seeming out of place in the cramped hallway. "You left without saying goodbye. That stung." "I seem to recall our last conversation ending with you telling me I was too human to understand your world." Rory crossed her arms, the small crescent-shaped scar on her left wrist visible. "Seemed like a pretty clear ending to me." Lucien's expression softened. "I said things I regret." Ptolemy, Eva's tabby cat, rubbed against Rory's legs, sensing the tension. She bent down to stroke him, using the moment to collect her thoughts. "You can't just show up here after six months. Eva's not even home." "I know. I came to see you." Rory straightened up, her cool-headed intelligence warring with the emotions his sudden appearance stirred. "How did you find me?" Lucien tapped his cane lightly on the floor. "I'm an information broker. Finding people is what I do." He paused, his eyes tracing the lines of her face. "You look well." "I'm managing." Rory stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter the flat. "Might as well come in rather than block the hallway." The flat was exactly as Lucien remembered—books, scrolls, and research notes covering every available surface. The smell of curry from the restaurant below mixed with the scent of old paper and magic. "Still living above Silas' bar?" Rory closed the door, sliding all three deadbolts into place. "Some things haven't changed." Lucien moved toward the window, looking out at Brick Lane. "I heard about what happened with Evan. I'm sorry I wasn't there." "I didn't need you to swoop in and save me." Rory's voice was sharp. "I handled it." "I never said you didn't." Lucien turned to face her. "But that doesn't mean I can't wish I'd been there to help." The silence stretched between them, heavy with all the words they'd left unsaid. Rory could feel the old attraction stirring, the chemistry that had complicated everything between them from the beginning. "Why are you really here, Lucien?" He leaned against the windowsill, his amber eye catching the light. "There's something happening. Something that concerns both our worlds." Rory raised an eyebrow. "Define 'our worlds.'" "The supernatural and the human." Lucien's expression grew serious. "There's a group collecting artifacts. Powerful ones. They're getting bolder, crossing lines that shouldn't be crossed." "And this concerns me how?" "Because one of the artifacts they're after is connected to you." Lucien pulled a folded piece of paper from his inner jacket pocket and handed it to her. Rory unfolded it, revealing a sketch of an amulet she hadn't seen in years—one she'd worn as a child before her mother had hidden it away. "How do you know about this?" "Your mother showed it to me. Before she disappeared." Rory's head snapped up. "What? When did you talk to my mother?" "Last month. In Cardiff. She was worried, Aurora. She said she'd been followed, that someone was asking questions about you." Rory felt the blood drain from her face. "My mother never mentioned this to me." "She was trying to protect you." Lucien moved closer, his voice softening. "That's why I'm here. That's why we need to work together." Rory laughed, a harsh sound in the cramped flat. "You want me to trust you again? After everything?" "I never stopped caring about you." Lucien's voice was low, intense. "Even when I pushed you away, it was because I cared. My world is dangerous, Aurora. I saw what happened to Evan—what he did to you—and I couldn't bear the thought of you getting hurt because of me." "Pushing me away hurt me more than any demon ever could." Rory's voice cracked, revealing the pain she'd tried so hard to bury. "I loved you, Lucien. And you just walked away." The confession hung between them, raw and honest. Lucien reached out, his fingers brushing against her cheek. "I know. And I've regretted it every day since." Rory closed her eyes, leaning into his touch despite herself. "Don't do this. Don't come here and say these things and expect everything to be okay." "I don't." Lucien's thumb stroked her cheekbone. "But I'm asking for a chance to make things right. And I'm asking for your help. Your mother needs you. There are things happening—things bigger than either of us."