LOGINI didn’t answer that question.Riley studied my face for another beat, then let out a soft breath.“I’ll take that as a no.” She shook her head slightly, almost to herself. “Well. Things are starting to make a little more sense.”She stood up from the bed and walked toward me. When she stopped a few feet away, she raised one hand between us—an offer of a handshake.“Looks like we’ll be seeing each other for a while,” she said. “I hope we get along.”I looked down at her outstretched hand, then back up at her face. "Just so we're clear—I don't trust you."Her mouth curved, just barely but she still didn’t pull her hand back."Believe me, nobody does,” she chuckled. “But I'm still here, aren't I?"Her hand stayed in the air between us, waiting.I hesitated for only a second longer. If Noah and Mr. James still had her around—even after locking her up, even after making it clear they didn’t trust her—then there had to be a reason. Going along with it, at least for now, was probably smart
“Hey,” she let out quietly. “I… heard you were awake.” I didn’t move to let her in. My fingers stayed locked around the doorknob as I studied her face, every instinct still on edge from the night before. “What are you doing here?” I asked. Riley’s gaze flicked past me into the room for half a second, then returned to mine. “I was with James last night,” she said. “In the car. When they brought you here.” A pause. “I just… wanted to check if you were okay.” “I’m fine,” I told her finally, the same thin lie I’d given Mr. James earlier. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, as if she was deciding how much to say. “…Can I come in?” she asked. I hesitated for a second, then shifted aside just enough for her to walk past me. “Thank you,” she exhaled as she stepped into the room and let out a long breath, like she’d been holding it since she knocked. Without waiting for an invitation, she walked straight over to the bed and dropped onto it, stretching out on her back like she b
I was about to speak, but a sudden knock at the door interrupted me.Noah’s eyes flicked toward it, then back to me. For a second he didn’t move. Then he reached up and ruffled my hair before straightening.“I’ll bring you something to eat,” he said. “Don’t get up.”He walked over and opened the door, revealing Mr. James standing in the hallway. Noah stepped out and pulled it almost shut behind him, but their low, clipped voices still filtered through the narrow gap. As the quiet murmur carried across the room, I stared up at the ceiling, my fingers remaining weakly curled in the sheets where his shirt had just been.A minute later the door opened again.Noah was gone.Mr. James stepped inside instead, closing the door quietly behind him. He stood near the foot of the bed for a moment, taking in the room, then looked at me.“How are you feeling, Miss Saraphina?” he asked, his voice having the same professional tone he’d always used.“…Fine,” I finally managed, even though the word tas
SARAPHINA °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・ I woke up slowly. And the first thing I noticed was the quiet. No rain was pattering against me, and there were no gunshots or shouting. Just silence, and the soft hum of an air conditioner and the faint scent of clean sheets. My body felt heavy and sore, like I’d been dragged through hell and left out to dry. When I finally managed to open my eyes, the room was dimly lit with the curtains drawn, but I could tell it was likely morning. I was in a bed. And Noah was right beside it. He was sitting in a chair pulled close to the mattress, arms crossed over his chest, head tilted slightly forward. Even in sleep, his posture looked tense, like he hadn’t fully let himself rest. There were still faint traces of dried blood on the side of his neck and a cut near his temple that someone had cleaned but not fully bandaged. His dark hair was messy, falling over his forehead, and he looked… exhausted. I stared at him for a long moment, my throat tight. “Noah…” H
THEA ASHFORD °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・ “She’s fine.” Gage’s quiet voice jerked me out of my thoughts. I turned on the bed to face him, the soft glow of the bedside lamp painting dark lines across his profile. He was already lying down, one arm tucked under his head, watching me with that cool, collected face he wore whenever my brain went into overdrive. “I don’t like how she sounded on the phone earlier,” I breathed out, my voice low. “Even before she ended the call. Something felt… off. I don’t know what it is, but I have a bad feeling.” He reached out and gently pulled me closer until my head rested against his chest. His hand moved slowly up and down my back in that familiar, grounding way of his. “We can call her tomorrow,” he said softly. “First thing in the morning. But for now, you need to stop worrying yourself sick.” I let out a long, tired sigh and finally nodded against him. “Okay.” The word came out as little more than a breath. Even as I said it, the uneasy feeling in my che
RILEY °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・ When the back doors opened, Noah and Seraphina looked like a complete fucking mess. Both of them were soaked to the bone with their hair plastered to their faces, clothes heavy and dripping as they shivered from the cold. But that wasn’t what stopped me cold. That wasn’t what made every thought in my head grind to a fucking halt. No. It was the way Noah was carrying her. Seraphina was in his arms, her head tucked against his neck, one of his hands cradling the back of her neck like he was terrified she might slip. Her gaze caught mine and held it, freezing the room so hard I couldn't process a single fucking word Noah was shouting over to James. It was like I was somehow underwater, right up until her eyes slowly started to slip shut. “Saraphina?” Noah called out when he noticed. Seeing her go under must have set off a total fire alarm in Noah because all the color drained straight out of his face, his eyes wide and completely frantic, wearing a look of p







