LOGINAurora POVI sit in the lecture hall with my notebook open and my pen resting uselessly between my fingers.The professor’s voice washes over me without meaning. Words drift past but my gaze keeps sliding to the window toward the outside world where everything that matters is happening without me.D
My chest tightens.“There you are,” he says as his gaze instantly finds me.“Here I am,” I smile as I cross the room to him, feeling drab in my school clothes next to him. “Where else would I be?”His hand comes to my waist like it belongs there—because it does. When he looks at me, the weight of ev
Aurora POV The hotel room smells faintly of oud and sandalwood, the most trendy and expensive perfume of the moment. This is the kind of place that knows it’s expensive and doesn’t let you forget it.I sit cross-legged on the edge of the bed in jeans and a sweatshirt, my dress hung carefully so it
Aurora POVThe coffeehouse smells like burnt espresso and pastries, like safety in the form of routine.I sit in my usual corner between classes, my back to the brick wall, the small round table pressed close enough that no one, not even my usual friends, can slide in uninvited. I am too distracted
Then she looks past Dominic and the body to the other older man standing waiting, his face full of resigned dignity so unlike what had been Francesco’s final moments.“Can Gianna’s father live?” she asks hoarsely, her soft voice barely reaching him across the empty space of the warehouse.The words
Aurora POVGianna is finally still.The pill I offered her dissolved beneath her tongue, and within minutes the sharp edges of her panic soften. Her lashes flutter as she slumps against the pillow, breath evening out, the fight draining from her limbs.I brush her hair back from her face with shakin
This isn’t my class. I shouldn’t even be here.I grip the edge of my chair until my knuckles ache, grounding myself in the press of wood under my palms. By the time his introduction winds down, his voice low and measured, I realize I haven’t absorbed a single word. He gestures for everyone to grab t
Aurora POVAfter that, I try to block out the image of my face carved in stone, and thankfully Professor Hale is quickly blotted from my mind by the sky outside the window is starting to turn a beautiful deep blue, the silhouettes of the leaves outside a thick black. I can deal with him later.Now I
I roll my eyes, isn’t she talking to Romero? I promised Dominic I wouldn’t spill the beans but now I’m wondering how the hell them talking even started. How did Romero get her number? Did he find it out through illegal means or was he actually a gentleman and asked her for it?I can’t see Gianna war
Aurora POVProfessor Hale’s eyes sweep over Marco slowly like he’s cataloging every detail. The pause is long enough to make my breath catch in my throat.“Why are you following her around?” he asks, voice deceptively calm. “You don’t even go here.”The words slice straight through me.Oh shit.My p







