DarrenI opened the car door before I realized what I was doing. The hinges creaked. Cassius glanced over, but he didn't say anything. Just watched.The asphalt was hot under my shoes. I crossed the lot, steps quick, and when I reached them, I didn't slow down. I wrapped an arm around Leila's waist, pulled her into me. She yelped, then relaxed when she saw it was me. Her hair smelled like lavender."All done?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the redhead. He'd stepped back, but he wasn't leaving. Just watching, that smirk still on his face.Leila nodded, looking up at me. Her cheeks were pink, like she was flustered. "Yeah. Just need to get textbooks. The bookstore's this way."I didn't look away from the redhead. "Good. Cassius'll drive you."The redhead held up his hands, mock-surrender. "Relax, man. Just helping a new student find her way." He turned to Leila, grinning. "See you tonight, yeah? Welcome party. Eight o'clock."Leila smiled. "Sure. Thanks, Ryan."Ryan. I filed the name away
DarrenI stared at the campus through the windshield, the glass smudged where Leila had pressed her palm earlier. It'd been a while since I'd set foot here, but the place smelled the same: cut grass and ambition, a scent that clung to the air like a promise. Freshmen swarmed the quad, backpacks bouncing, voices overlapping in a chaotic hum. I rolled down the window, let the noise wash over me. It felt foreign, like pressing a hand to a scar you'd forgotten you had.Leila leaned across the center console, her hair brushing my arm. "I'll be quick," she said, already unbuckling her seatbelt. Her fingers lingered on the strap, like she was hesitating. "Just need to grab my schedule and sign a few forms."Cassius grunted from the driver's seat. "Take your time. We'll be here." He shot me a sideways glance, the kind that meant he was about to start in on me. I braced myself.Leila smiled, pushing the door open. "Thanks, guys." She paused, looked back at me, and for a second, I thought she m
Leila"Does he have a bad relationship with his grandfather?" I asked, and my voice came out softer than I meant it to. Darren rarely talked about his family, just like he rarely talked about the scar on his arm or the way he flinched when someone raised their voice too suddenly.Cassius closed the book with a snap, like he'd said too much. "His grandfather never intended to recognize him, and indirectly caused his mother's death. He never mentions his grandfather in front of me. Now that he sees Darren has been thriving in the human world over the years, the old man also wants to develop in the human world, which is why he announced his identity at the last banquet." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "There is no room for sentiment in the world of business; everything is driven by interests."This ordinary passage sent shivers down my spine. It was the casual way he said it, like it was a fact of life, as unremarkable as the sky being blue.Although I was a merchant's wife in my pre
Leila"Did you buy all the ingredients I asked you to?" Darren smiled and asked Cassius, leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed. The sleeves of his sweater were pushed up, revealing his strong forearms.Cassius sauntered in behind me, keys jangling in his hand, and tossed a canvas shopping bag onto the dining table with a thud. "Everything's in the car. I almost emptied out the supermarket." He grinned, running a hand through his dark hair, and I caught the glint of a silver chain peeking out from his shirt. "When I was checking out, the girl at the checkout counter couldn't stop looking at me. Probably thinking I was crazy."Darren shook his head, his laugh low and rumbling, like a fireplace crackling to life. "Don't flatter yourself. She was staring at the cart full of truffle oil and imported prosciutto. Normal people don't buy that much for a weeknight dinner."I smiled, folding my coat over the back of a chair. "She looked at you twice because you're handsome,
LeilaRecovery was a dull hum - nurses checking vitals at odd hours, the beep of machines that measured my heartbeat like it was a task, not a gift. Simple, they'd called it. Monotonous, I'd learned.Darren and Cassius took turns. Darren brought books, thick things with dog-eared pages that he'd read aloud in a voice that rumbled like distant thunder, even when the words were about stocks or ancient wars. Cassius brought coffee, black and bitter, and sat by the window, watching the clouds drift past like he was cataloging their shapes for later. They rarely left. Even when one stepped out to stretch or take a call, the other stayed, a silent sentinel. It was suffocating, in a way. But safer than being alone.I thought about the poison a lot. The way it had burned going down, like swallowing a handful of needles. Josephine wasn't clever enough for this. She'd tried to have me killed once. Using poison twice? It was absurd. Reckless. She wanted my money, not my corpse. Dead girls don't
DarrenFive hours. Five fucking hours.That's how long it took for the doors to open again. Dr. Jafar stepped out, his shoulders slumped, exhaustion etched into the lines of his face. He ran a hand over his graying hair, sighing. "You got her here in time. She's stable. Strong girl, that one." "Can I see her?" He studied me for a long moment, then shook his head. "She's still comatose. Let her rest. You too—you look like hell." "I'm not leaving." My voice was flat, unyielding. "Someone wants her dead. I'm not leaving her alone." Dr. Jafar held up his hands, conceding. "Suit yourself. But keep the noise down." Cassius clapped me on the shoulder. "I'll go get you some clothes. Be back soon." I nodded, already moving toward the doors. The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of monitors. Leila lay in the bed, her arm hooked to an IV, a clear tube snaking from her nose to an oxygen tank beside the bed. Wires crisscrossed her chest, feeding data to the machines that beeped softl