Samantha's pulse quickened as she nodded, though she wasn't entirely sure what she was agreeing to. The anticipation thrumming through her veins felt both familiar and foreign—like muscle memory awakening after a long dormancy. Beside her, Marcus rose with the fluid grace that always reminded her he was far more than human, extending his hand to help her from her chair with old-world courtesy that never failed to make her feel cherished.
"Excellent," Evangeline said, standing with a satisfied smile that suggested she'd orchestrated exactly the outcome she'd intended. "Follow me, darlings. And Marcus? You might want to roll up those sleeves. Where we're going tends to get... warm."
