AURORA
She didn't run.
Not when he dangled the key between his fingers.
Not when his voice wrapped around her like a whisper of a threat.
Not even when he said, I'll see you soon, sweetheart.
She should have.
She should have turned on her heel and fled.
But she didn't.
Because that would mean he won.
Aurora didn't know much about the man in front of her—she didn't know his name, where he came from, why he was here—but she knew enough.
She knew he was dangerous.
She knew he had been watching her.
And she knew, deep in her bones, that this wasn't the end.
It was only the beginning.
Her breath felt trapped in her lungs as she took a single step back, then another, until she turned and walked out of the library.
She didn't stop.
Didn't look back.
She kept moving, even as her heart pounded so hard it threatened to break her ribs.
Even as the cool metal of her spare key pressed against her palm, reminding her of the impossibility of what just happened.
She had never lost her key.
And yet, he had it.
Which meant he had been close enough to take it without her noticing.
Close enough to touch her.
The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
But it wasn't fear that tangled in her stomach.
It was something worse.
Something darker.
Something she didn't have a name for.
---
LUCIAN
She was fighting it.
Fighting the fear.
Fighting him.
And fuck, if that didn't make him want her even more.
Lucian watched as she disappeared through the library doors, her back straight, her steps precise, like she hadn't just been standing in front of a man who had her key.
She was fragile, but she was not weak.
Not by a long shot.
A slow smirk tugged at his lips as he leaned back in his chair.
She was right to be afraid.
Because this was just the start.
He had patience when it came to death.
Revenge.
Killing was easy. It was methodical, controlled.
But this?
This was something else.
This was hunger.
And he had no intention of starving.
His fingers toyed with the key in his pocket as he pushed to his feet and walked out of the library, blending into the crowd as easily as a shadow in the dark.
Aurora Sinclair had no idea what was coming for her.
But she would soon.
---
AURORA
The air outside felt thinner, harder to breathe.
She wasn't sure where she was walking, only that she needed space.
She made it halfway across campus before a voice cut through her thoughts.
"Aurora!"
She stopped, inhaling sharply before turning.
Madeline.
Her only friend.
The only person in the world who saw her as something more than just Richard Sinclair's daughter.
"Hey," Aurora said, forcing a smile.
Madeline tilted her head, studying her. "You okay?"
Aurora hesitated.
She could lie.
She should lie.
But the words wouldn't come.
Not when her mind was still tangled with images of dark eyes, whispered promises, and a key that should have never left her bag.
"I…" She swallowed. "Yeah. Just tired."
Madeline didn't look convinced, but she didn't push.
Instead, she looped her arm through Aurora's and started walking. "Come on. Let's get coffee before class."
Aurora let herself be pulled along, but even as Madeline chattered beside her, she couldn't shake the feeling crawling under her skin.
The feeling of being watched.
---
LUCIAN
He should leave.
He had work to do. A life to take.
But he stayed.
Leaning against his bike, helmet in hand, he watched as Aurora sat at an outdoor café with a blonde girl, her fingers wrapped around a coffee cup, her shoulders tense.
She was distracted.
Good.
Because if she ever really looked, if she ever really saw—
She would know she wasn't the prey.
She was the prize.
And Lucian Vale always collected what was his.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out without looking away from her.
A name flashed across the screen.
Dante.
Lucian exhaled through his nose before answering. "Yeah."
"You're late."
Lucian's lips curved. "You're impatient."
"Client's asking questions. Wants proof of death."
Lucian's gaze flicked back to Aurora. "They'll get it when I'm done."
A pause.
Then, "This isn't like you."
Lucian's grip tightened on his phone.
Dante knew him too well.
But Dante didn't know her.
Didn't know what Lucian had seen that night.
Didn't know the kind of monsters that lived in the Sinclair house.
Lucian didn't give a fuck about who hired him.
Didn't care about the money.
He had taken the job because it was easy.
But now?
Now, it was personal.
"Let me worry about that." His voice was even, controlled.
A warning.
Dante exhaled on the other end. "Just don't get sloppy."
Lucian ended the call without responding, slipping his phone back into his pocket as he watched Aurora stand from the café table.
She was leaving.
Good.
Because so was he.
But not for long.
Not forever.
Because he still had her key.
And soon, he was going to use it.