The morning air was sharp with citrus and damp from early sprinklers. Somewhere outside, the garden was being trimmed, the hum of distant clippers blending with birdsong. But inside Maddie’s room… there was only silence. And the aftermath. The sheets were…

The house was quiet. Too quiet. Maddie lay on her back in the center of her massive bed, arms above her head, golden hair spilling like liquid sunlight across the silk pillows. A light summer breeze whispered through the open…

It had been two full days since Lucien spent the night at Jack’s cabin. Since then, Jack had gone back to his usual routine — splitting logs with his bare arms in the misty mornings, sanding the edge of a…

It had been nearly a week since the last visitor. Jack had split his time between deep woods lumber work and finishing up a walnut slab dining table commissioned by the mayor’s wife. The solitude was good for him. Cleansing.…

The soft click of the door closing echoed like a gunshot in Daniel’s ears. His fingers lingered on the handle for a moment longer than they should have, his skin warm, sweaty, pulse thudding violently in his throat. He hadn’t meant to…