"Young," he uttered, the single word resonating from his lips as our gazes locked, and the stare seemed to stretch on endlessly. "What's your name?" His aura engulfed me, instilling a sense of fear that made me shiver uncontrollably as his piercing gaze bore deeper into mine. "Annalise," I managed to respond, my voice quivering. ''Annalise.'' Almost as if testing it on his tongue, and then he mumbled it slowly as if trying to commit it to memory...