"Creak—"

The door opened.

Light from the hallway spilled in as a tall man stepped inside.

Mason Nightshade hadn't expected Aurelia Shaw to still be awake. He froze for a moment, walked over and squatted in front of her. Moonlight fell across her bloodless face and he suddenly went rigid.

"What's wrong?" Mason Nightshade held Aurelia Shaw's hand; her palm was icy under his.

How could it be this cold? Did she not pull the covers over herself properly tonight?

Mason Nightshade wrapped both hands around hers, rubbing them, breathing warm air into her palms. "Is that a little better? Didn't wake up from the cold, did you? …I reminded Aunt Rong to turn on the floor heating tonight, she must've forgotten..."

"Where did you go?" Aurelia Shaw lowered her eyes to look at him.

There was a smell on Mason Nightshade.

It was a scent she knew all too well. Maybe she hadn't understood it before, but now… 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

She knew very clearly it was the smell of blood.

"Had some business to take care of." Mason Nightshade tucked her hands into his collar.

Something occurred to him and his movements stalled. He lifted her hands, then put them down again.

He pinched her little face. "Lie down first, I'll go turn up the heat. You won't feel cold in a bit."

Aurelia Shaw slapped his hand away, crawled over and quickly turned on the lamp by the bed. Her gaze went dark and sharp, a heavy frost in her eyes that no one could melt.

Under the light, Mason Nightshade's tall figure was half-kneeling on the floor. He raised a hand to shield his eyes. His white shirt was stained with spots of blood, and the blood on his chiseled, cold features had already dried.

She didn't know if it was his or someone else's.

The thick metallic reek of blood on him seeped through the entire room.

Aurelia Shaw stared fixedly at the man before her. "Mason Nightshade?"

Mason Nightshade tugged at his hair, lifted a hand to undo his buttons. After unfastening two, he irritably pulled the shirt off from the bottom up and held it in his hand.

Then he reached for his belt.

He glanced up at Aurelia Shaw. "I didn't know you were still awake. Next time—next time I'll make sure I clean up before I come back. I swear I won't come back reeking of blood, okay?"

So he thought she was mad.

Because Aurelia Shaw's face was tight, her eyes dark and icy, Mason Nightshade really didn't dare let his mind go there.

"Don't be mad, okay?" As he spoke, Mason Nightshade was already holding both his shirt and pants in his hand.

Aurelia Shaw's gaze swept over the man's strong, lean body, then she arched a brow. "Put your clothes back on. Anyone who doesn't know better would think I'm torturing you."

She was the one who'd let her thoughts run wild.

It was just a dream. How did she end up getting so paranoid that she thought the Mason Nightshade in front of her wasn't the same one she knew.

Mason Nightshade's lips quirked. He bent down and pinched her chin. "Isn't this a punishment?"

Now that he knew she wasn't angry, he could finally relax.

He really was afraid—afraid she'd realize he wasn't as perfect as she imagined, that he was cruel, not that noble, not that outstanding; afraid she'd only fallen in love with the hollow shell of Mason Nightshade.

But he couldn't let her go anymore.

To keep from losing her, he might do something truly terrible.

Mason Nightshade bit Aurelia Shaw's lip, then let her go. Breathing a little hard, he lowered his eyes to look at her, the corners of his mouth lifting. "I'll go shower first, yeah?"

Aurelia Shaw kicked him in the chest. "Go shower, now. Don't you dare get in this bed without a shower. You stink. The smell is killing me!"

Mason Nightshade caught her ankle, yanked back, propping her leg over his shoulder. He turned his head and bit the top of her foot.

Aurelia Shaw cried out softly in pain. "Are you a dog or what? Why do you like biting people so much!"

"Don't you always call me a wolf behind my back?" Mason Nightshade's lips curved up, his eyes filled with thick, indulgent affection.