chapter 6

The knock on my door came at 2 a.m.

It wasn’t a polite tap. It was firm. Measured. Like the person on the other side already knew I was awake.

I froze.

For a second, I thought about pretending I wasn’t in. But then a voice slid through the wood like smoke.

“Open the door, Lena.”

Zane.

My pulse kicked up. That kiss was still seared into my skin, and now here he was, in the middle of the night, at my door, like some unfinished sentence.

I opened it just enough to see him leaning against the doorframe, shirt unbuttoned at the collar, tie hanging loose. His hair was a little messy, like he’d been running a hand through it for hours.

He didn’t smile.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

I hesitated. “It’s late.”

He stepped in anyway.

The air in my room changed the second the door shut behind him. It was heavier. Charged.

He didn’t look at me right away. Just walked to the window, glanced out at the city like he was checking for ghosts, then turned back.

“You shouldn’t be here alone.”

I folded my arms. “I’m fine.”

“No,” he said, his voice a quiet blade. “You’re not. Liam’s been asking about you.”

My stomach tightened. “Asking what?”

He moved closer, slow, deliberate. “What you’ve seen. What you know. Why you’re here.”

“I already told you”

He cut me off. “Lena, you think you can outplay him? He’s not like me. He won’t flirt with you, or warn you. He’ll gut you while smiling.”

“Then why are you warning me?” I shot back.

Something flickered in his eyes, something raw, almost painful. “Because I know what it feels like to be hunted in this house.”

I swallowed, my voice softer now. “By Liam?”

His jaw clenched. “By all of them.”

I didn’t realize how close we were until his breath touched my cheek. My heart hammered, and I hated that part of me wanted him to close the space completely.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.

“What is that?” I asked.

“Something you’re going to wear tomorrow,” he said, opening it to reveal a diamond pendant, elegant, understated, but clearly expensive enough to buy a small car.

“I can’t accept this”

“It’s not a gift,” he interrupted. “It’s protection.”

I frowned. “From what? A bad fashion review?”

His lips twitched, but his eyes stayed serious. “It has a tracker. If something happens, I’ll find you.”

A chill slid down my spine. “You make it sound like something’s going to happen.”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he stepped behind me, brushing my hair aside as he clasped the necklace around my neck. His fingers grazed my skin, and I shivered despite seeing myself.

“There,” he murmured near my ear. “Now I can breathe.”

I turned to face him, ready to ask a thousand questions, but his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening instantly.

“What is it?” I asked.

He looked up at me. “Stay in your room. Lock the door. Don’t open it for anyone but me.”

And just like that, he was gone.