But something within her had changed too.
Riley Hell.
A name that once sounded so dull—so laughably average—was now echoing in her thoughts like a question without an answer.
And without even realizing it, the mask of obsession she used to wear like a game was slowly becoming something real.
Watching him…
It had become a daily routine for her ever since she was a child.
Her gaze, always trailing behind his shadow, observing from a distance, curious and amused.
To her, Riley had always been a fascinating creature—an unpredictable flicker in her otherwise dull and predetermined life.
But even with all her power, all her authority, there were lines she could not cross.
Restrictions placed upon her.
Barriers born not from magic or mortal rule, but from another being—one that stood on near-equal footing with her. A balance the world itself demanded remain intact.
And so, despite her overwhelming curiosity, despite her longing to understand him more deeply, she waited.
