"Excellent," Julian murmured, the single word vibrating with a dark, terrifying finality that made the hairs on the back of Clara’s neck stand at attention.

He didn't gloat. He didn't laugh. He simply watched her with the calm, sated expression of a predator that had finally felt its jaws snap shu

The rain had intensified by the time Clara pushed through the heavy glass doors of the institute. The storm battered the city with relentless fury, turning the streets into slick, black rivers reflecting the harsh glare of the streetlights.

Clara barely felt the cold. She felt numb. Her right thum

The armored SUV rolled to a halt, the heavy crunch of gravel beneath its tires signaling the end of the line. Clara peered through the tinted, bulletproof glass, her breath fogging the pane. Through the driving rain, Ironwood Estate loomed like a gothic nightmare ripped from a forgotten century. It