Page 7 of Bound By Crimson

---

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark, impeccably tailored coat.

His jawline was sharp, almost severe, but softened by lips that curved in the faintest, knowing smile.

His eyes—molten gold, darkened at the edges like storm-lit amber—locked onto hers. Unreadable. Hypnotic. As if they could see right through her.

For a moment, the street noise dulled. The world seemed to pause.

“I—sorry,” she stammered, her cheeks burning.

He didn’t reply. His gaze didn’t waver.

Lyric sidestepped quickly, her heart racing, and continued walking.

But she felt him watching her.

After a few paces, she glanced back.

He was still there. Still watching.

That same subtle, enigmatic smile.

Her breath caught. God, he was dangerously handsome. The kind of man who didn’t just belong in this quiet town. The kind of man who turned heads in cities and stole breaths without trying.

She looked away before he could see the heat rising in her cheeks.

She didn’t know what unsettled her more—his silence, or the way it stayed with her.

She didn’t look back again.

---

The Velvet Cauldron sat on the corner of a crooked block, wedged between an abandoned salon and a flower shop that never opened before noon.

Its windows were cluttered with hanging crystals, antique birdcages, and chipped teacups. A chalkboard sign perched outside read:

Mercury’s in retrograde, darling. Wear obsidian and don’t text your ex.

No worries there, Mercury. That bridge is long gone.

The door chimed when she pushed it open.

The smell hit her first—incense, patchouli, something herbal and warm, like crushed mint and smoke drifting through forgotten velvet.

And then—

“Little Star!”

Velora’s voice rang out from behind the beaded curtain.

Before Lyric could respond—or escape—Velora emerged in a whirlwind of scarves and bracelets, a violet kaftan billowing around her like a magic trick mid-performance. Her dark braid, streaked with copper, was wrapped in a bandana that shimmered like it belonged to another galaxy.

She paused when she saw Lyric’s face. The usual sparkle in her eyes softened. “What happened?”

Lyric’s throat tightened. “Nothing. I just… ran into Rowan and Eric. Rowan tried to talk to me.”

Velora let out a low hum and crossed her arms. “Mmm. That’s a lot of ‘nothing.’”

Lyric exhaled. “I didn’t want to talk. I couldn’t.”

---