LOGIN"You play good cop, I play bad cop," Cassian said as they approached the Bird’s nest common room. He didn't slow his pace, his hands shoved deep into his pockets while his green eyes scanned the end of the hallway. "We’re both playing what we gotta play, we need that information, we need to find Jason," Lucien replied with a hardened look on his face. His fingers were clenched into fists at his sides, his shoulders completely rigid under his tailored jacket. "Don’t show all your anger on your face, tiger. It’s Mira Solene, the girl is a badass mind reader," Cassian said, throwing a brief, warning glance toward his friend. Lucien hummed a stiff response, his jaw locking tight as he forced his features back into that cold, unreadable mask. They both walked into the common room, the wide space scattered with low couches and study tables. It took Cassian less than a second to spot Mira sitting alone by the corner window, a sleek silver laptop open on the dark wood in front of he
The office door clicked shut behind Adrian, leaving a heavy, ringing quiet in the small space.Lucien’s hand finally loosened around Eli’s wrist, his fingers dropping away slowly until his arm fell to his side. He didn't look at Eli right away. He walked back toward the cedarwood desk, his boots heavy against the floorboards, and sat down in the high-backed leather chair, staring at the closed folder Adrian had left behind.Eli didn't move from the door. He stood with his back against the wood, holding the manila roster sheets tightly against his chest, his eyes fixed on the sharp line of Lucien’s jaw."So that's what the text was about last night," Eli said, his voice quiet but direct.Lucien rested his elbows on the desk, pressing his palms together and lowering his chin against his knuckles. He didn't deny it. "Adrian found the blind spot we couldn't clear. The family used the chalet to keep Jason out of the way before the board could open a formal inquiry into the campus account
Eli sat on the edge of the cedarwood table, his breath still a little uneven, his fingers resting against Lucien's shoulders. Lucien stood right between his legs, his hands firmly anchoring Eli's waist, his green eyes looking directly at him.A sudden, sharp knock cut through the room.Eli jolted, his pulse racing as he tried to slide off the table immediately to straighten his clothes. "Lucien, stop"Lucien didn't let him go but he let him stand and Instead of pulling away, he caught Eli by the waist, spun him around smoothly, and pulled him flush against his chest. Eli’s back pressed flat against Lucien’s front, the solid heat of him grounding them both. Lucien buried his face directly into the curve of Eli’s neck, his lips pressing a slow, deliberate kiss against the sensitive skin right under his ear while his arms locked tightly around Eli's middle."Come in," Lucien called out, his voice perfectly level, completely contrasting the way his hands were holding Eli captive.The
Noah was leaning his back against a stack of gym mats, his training jacket unzipped to the waist as he unlaced his running flats. He heard the door creak open before he saw who it was, the sudden bright wedge of daylight cutting across the dusty floorboards before the wood clicked shut again.Cassian stood against the door, his hands tucked loosely into the pockets of his dark trousers. He looked exactly like he always did hair slightly messy, his school collar undone at the throat, and an unbothered, lazy tilt to his chin that usually drove the track team crazy."The sprinters are looking for you," Cassian said, his voice low and scraping in the quiet shed. "Something about the afternoon relay order.""They know where I am," Noah said without looking up, tugging the damp sock off his left foot. "And you don't care about the relay order.""I don't," Cassian agreed. He took three slow, heavy steps forward, his boots thudding against the dirt-streaked wood until he was standing direct
It was barely eight in the morning, and the hallway outside was completely quiet, save for the distant sound of a janitor pushing a mop down the corridor.Noah dropped a thick manila folder onto the metal desk, the metal brackets scraping loudly against the scratched paint.“That’s the full roster for the relay group. If you don't get the secretary to stamp this before the first bell, the guys aren't getting their meal cards for the weekend practice."Eli sat in the squeaky office chair, his chin resting in his hand as he stared at the messy stack of sign-up sheets. He looked exhausted, the dark circles under his eyes showing exactly how little he’d slept after the chaos in the main hall the night before. "I don't even know where the stamp is, Noah. The athletic director didn't leave a ledger or anything. He just told me the council handled the keys now.""Then go find Lucien," Noah said simply, leaning his hips against the edge of the desk and crossing his arms. He had his trainin
The back office was dark. Lucien stood by the oak desk with his phone pressed to his ear, his jaw set. Across the room, Cassian leaned against the closed door, his usual lazy posture entirely gone."Did you find who sent it?" Lucien asked."The numbers were routed through a regional relay down in the valley village," the investigator's voice came through the receiver, thin and distorted. "It’s a dead end on the primary network. Whoever sent the text used a localized commercial terminal."Lucien’s fingers tightened against the casing of his phone. "What about the source file? They used a phrase from the Geneva manifest.""That's the problem," the investigator said. "We went back to check the duplicate ledger from that summer. The entries are changing. Two of the corporate registration names from five years ago have been entirely overwritten. Someone inside Saint Aurelius has been cleaning the old storage cabinets over the last forty-eight hours."Cassian shifted against the door, his
Eli came back from the Dean’s office and made dinner, he didn’t want the noise and the eyes that would be on him all night, thanks to Lucien Vale. He went to the Bee’s Hive kitchen and made toast and scrambled eggs and ate them standing at the counter. The kitchen was empty, which was what he expe
Lucien’s fist connected with the side of Adrian’s face before the last word arrived and Adrian went back two steps, catching himself against the wall and the fencing hall went completely, absolutely silent.Lucien stood there, his hand already telling him what he’d done, he looked at it then back a
The student council always met at nine on Thursday mornings in the seminar room on the third floor, which had good light, and a table long enough that seven people could sit around it without being too close to anyone they didn’t want to be close to.Lucien was at the head of the table and at exact
Eli found a table in the back corner of the Bird’s Nest reading room at half past three and had been there forty minutes when someone sat down across from him without asking.He looked up at Lucien, set his books down, pulled out his chair, and opened his laptop. “There are other tables,” Eli said







