Gathering Shadows

*POV=VESPERA*

The frantic flapping of wings broke the suffocating silence of my estate. A messenger pigeon fluttered awkwardly through the grand, arched windows of my living room, its gray feathers a stark contrast to the pristine, meticulously curated white silk drapes and imported marble furnishings. I sat motionless on the edge of my sprawling velvet sofa, my jaw clenched so tight my teeth ach