Chapter 4

The shed was pitch black, the kind of dark that makes every sound sharper, every breath louder. I could feel Jace’s presence beside me, solid and infuriatingly close. My pulse was racing—not just from fear, but from the electricity between us.

“Stay calm,” he whispered, voice low and tight. “Someone locked us in on purpose. We just… need to wait.”

“Wait?” I echoed, my voice trembling. “In the dark? With you?”

“You think this is easy for me?” His hand brushed mine—deliberately or not, I didn’t care. Sparks shot up my arm, and I realized my pulse wasn’t the only thing racing.

I swallowed, trying to steady myself. “You’re… dangerous,” I whispered, stepping closer.

He inhaled sharply, his body stiffening. “You have no idea,” he muttered, almost to himself. Then, his hand found mine again, thumb brushing the back of my hand. “I shouldn’t be this close.”

“Shouldn’t?” I echoed softly, letting my voice drop. “But you are. So maybe… you want to be.”

His jaw clenched, and for a moment, the only sound was our synchronized breathing. He didn’t deny it. He couldn’t. And the closeness—too close, too tempting—made my chest ache in a way I didn’t want to think about.

“I’m trying,” he finally whispered, voice low and rough. “Trying not to—” He cut himself off.

“Not to what?” I pressed, stepping even closer. “Tell me, Jace.”

“Not to lose control.”

There it was. The confession I’d been daring him toward, and yet it made my stomach twist. Because as much as I wanted him, I knew the consequences. We were forbidden—both of our fathers would explode if they found out.

I smiled softly, letting my forehead rest against his arm. “Then maybe losing control isn’t the worst thing.”

He stiffened, gripping my hand tighter. “Aria…” His voice broke slightly, and I felt it as much as I heard it. “You don’t understand. If we—if anything happens—my dad, your dad…”

I tilted my head, daring him to meet my eyes. “Let them worry about that. Right now, it’s just you and me.”

He exhaled sharply, frustration and desire mixing into something raw and tense. But before we could process it, footsteps echoed outside the shed.

“Someone’s out there,” he muttered. His hand shot to my waist, pressing me back instinctively. “Stay quiet.”

The footsteps circled the shed, slow, deliberate, making my skin crawl. Then the sound of a sliding latch made my stomach drop.

“The lock…” Jace hissed, “they’re coming back.”

My chest tightened as I felt him shift behind me, his body shielding mine instinctively. The air between us felt heavier, hotter, impossible.

The door rattled violently, a low voice calling out, muffled but clear:

“Anyone in there?”

Jace cursed under his breath, jaw tight. “They’re not supposed to be here. Stay behind me.”

I pressed myself against the crates, hand still in his, and realized something terrifying. Whoever had locked us in didn’t just want to scare us—they wanted something more. Something dangerous.

The lock clicked. Slowly. Deliberately.

The door handle rattled again.

Jace’s eyes darkened, a dangerous edge to his voice. “This isn’t going to end well…”

The shed door creaked open…

And a shadow stepped inside.