T he phone buzzes, dragging me out of sleep like a slap to the face. I barely register the words on the other end as Kai’s voice spits out fragments of something. I hear his muffled voice through the wall so I just get up.

I haven’t truly been sleeping since Sable still refuses to come back home. Yes—the Manor is her home just as much as it is any of ours. The door to his room is already cracked. I rub my eyes and take in his disheveled state. He’s an absolute mess without his girl—or guy to take care of him.

Jesus fuck, has this man even showered this week?

“Another one,” Kai mutters as he analyzes the computer screen, watching the cameras and listening to the police scanner like a hawk.

I sigh, half relieved, half apprehensive. Sable is still out there. Alone. I know I shouldn’t push her, but fuck me if I haven’t thought about dragging her ass back here and tying her to my fucking bed. Or Dayton’s. It’s more comfortable than mine.

I run a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the lingering fog of sleep. Kai is hunched over his desk, eyes bloodshot and glued to the screen. He’s murmuring something, but my head’s still pounding too hard to make sense of it.

Another one.

The words start to piece together in my mind like shattered glass reforming. I move closer to his screen, my eyes squinting at the bright light.

“What do you mean, ‘another one’?”

Kai doesn’t look up, just flicks the mouse across the screen. “Another fucking murder.”

When my eyes focus, I see it. The crime scene from a hacked campus camera. A body sprawled out, broken like a doll at the bottom of a stairwell. A girl. Her hair is splayed out in a halo of blood, her limbs bent at unnatural angles.

“Looks like she just fell.”

“No… you see this?” He points at the bruises on her arm. “A fall doesn’t create bruises that soon. She was held. For a while. Report said she was gone for three days.”

“Who is it?”

Kai sighs, rubbing a hand over his face, finally tearing his eyes from the screen. “Marina Holt. Her father was part of DSN. Just like ours.”

“Fuck.” I rub my jaw. “Wasn’t she Jeremy’s girl?”

Kai nods. “I have Petey and Wes going to check on him now. Cam shows he’s still in his dorm.”

“Fuck.”

“You said that already.”

I scoff. “Oh, I’m sorry. Would you like me to have some magical fucking answer? At least we know Levi didn’t do it.”

His eyes squint at my words. I know that Levi didn’t do it. But it’s nice to have proof. He hasn’t been let out of the Syndicate yet.

If he is even still alive.

They would tell his parents at least, right?

Fuck. This isn’t just some freak accident. It’s a goddamn death sentence for anyone connected to the Syndicate. And the clock is ticking.

I glance at the wall, at the row of cameras that I’ve been using to keep tabs on Sable, even though she thinks she’s disabled them all. The guilt gnaws at the back of my mind, but it doesn’t stop the protectiveness. I can’t stop watching her. Not after what’s happened. Not when every fiber of my being is screaming that she needs to be here, with us, where I can keep her safe.

“Where’s Sable?”

“Still in her dorm. I was watching her sleep before this came through.”

Does he do that often?

I let out a slow breath, but it doesn’t ease the pressure in my chest. She’s safe. For now. But she’s out there, and it’s only a matter of time before the killer gets too close.

The next name on their list could be hers.

Or mine.

Or Dayton’s.

Hell, it could be any one of us.

“You need to bring her back,” Kai says suddenly, his voice flat but weighted with truth. “We’re running out of time, Silas. The killer’s working down the list of names, and we don’t know who’s next.”

I grind my teeth, resisting the urge to punch the nearest wall. I fucking know. That’s all I’ve been thinking about. But Sable’s been stubborn as hell, refusing to come back to the Manor, refusing to let us protect her.

“She doesn’t want to be here,” I mutter, pacing the length of the room, trying to keep my thoughts straight.

“Doesn’t matter. What she wants and what she needs are two different things. And what she needs is to be somewhere safe. Here. With us.”

He’s right.

I know he’s fucking right.

But every time I think about dragging Sable back, my head spins with the way she looked at me the last time we talked. Like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to punch me or cry.

She’s slipping away, and I feel powerless to stop it.

Fuck it.

I’m not going to let her get hurt because of her stubborn pride. She belongs with us, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.

I grab my phone off the desk and head for the door, shoving it into my pocket. “Watch the cameras. I’ll bring her back.”

Kai’s voice stops me just as I’m about to leave. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

I shoot him a look over my shoulder, the ghost of a grin tugging at my lips. “When do I ever do anything stupid?”

But as I walk out, a part of me knows I’m lying through my teeth. I’m about to do something very, very stupid.

The campus is quiet, unnaturally so. The sun’s barely starting to rise, casting a faint, grayish light over the buildings. I grew up attending grand parties on this campus with my parents since they were huge donors. Now, I have spent the past three years here. As elites, we tend to not have any normal experiences, but I can say with certainty that my time at AGU is as close to a college experience as I would ever get—bar the murders. And the secret society. And the—oh fuck it, nevermind.

I don’t even knock when I get to her door. No need to make a scene. I pull out my phone and text her. I know she’s awake thanks to Kai’s feed.

Me

Open the door.

There’s a long pause. My hand clenches into a fist by my side, my patience fraying with every second that passes. After what feels like an eternity, the door creaks open, and there she is. The sight of her sends a jolt through me—one I don’t even try to hide as it awakens my soft cock.

Sable stands in the doorway, her eyes wide, her hair slightly messy, like she’s just rolled out of bed. She’s wearing a tank top with one spaghetti strap falling off of her shoulder, and plaid sleep shorts. My throat tightens at the sight, a possessive heat unfurling in my chest. She looks so fucking soft. Touchable.

My fingers itch to reach out and pull her against me, but I shove the urge down.

There’s no time for that right now.

“Silas, what the hell?” she says, her voice low, confused.

“We need to talk,” I say, pushing past her into the room, ignoring the way her scent hits me—something sweet and homely.

Sable closes the door with a sigh, her arms crossing defensively over her chest. Her eyes follow my every move, wary. I know she’s still keeping her guard up. “What’s going on?”

I turn to face her, trying to keep my expression hard, focused. I can’t afford to soften right now, not when everything is spiraling out of control. “Another murder. Jeremy’s girl.”

Her face pales, and her hands pop up to cover her mouth. “Or dear god. Marina?”

“Yep,” My lips pop at the end of the word.

“She was so sweet…”

“They’re getting closer, Sable, please…” I begin to beg. “Please come back home…”

She opens her mouth, ready to argue. I can see it in the way her eyes flash, the defiance rising to the surface, but I cut her off before she can even get a word out. “You don’t get a choice in this, Sable. Not anymore. I can’t—I won’t—let anything happen to you.”

Her lips part, and for a moment, I think she’s going to fight me. But then she nods, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Okay,” she whispers.

The knot in my chest loosens just a little. But it’s not enough. It’ll never be enough until she’s back with us, where she belongs, and I can keep her safe from whatever the hell is coming for us next.

I study her face for a moment, taking in every detail—her wide, expressive eyes, the way her bottom lip quivers ever so slightly. I hate seeing her like this, cornered and scared. She’s always been so strong, so damn stubborn, but now… now she looks like she’s on the edge of breaking.

“Are you guys any closer to finding Levi?”

Levi. Fuck.

I shake my head, the frustration bubbling up again. “No. Nothing solid. The Syndicate’s still holding all the cards, and we’re playing catch-up.”

Her brow furrows, and she takes a small step closer. “But you’re not giving up, right?”

“Of course not. I’m going to bring him back, Sable. I swear it.”

She looks up at me, and I can see the doubt flicker in her eyes before she pushes it down. It fucking kills me that she doesn’t fully trust me on this. But what the hell am I supposed to say? We’ve been chasing ghosts for weeks, and every lead brings us back to the same dead end.

“You should’ve stayed with us,” I say, my voice low. “You should’ve never left the Manor.”

“I needed space, Silas,” she snaps, her voice rising for the first time since I barged into her room. “You don’t get to tell me where I should be.”

“I’m telling you because I care about you, Sable. I’m trying to protect you, but you keep making it harder.”

“Maybe I don’t need you to protect me.”

“Bullshit.”

Her breath catches, and I can see the war in her eyes, wanting to push back, to stand her ground, but knowing that deep down, I’m right. The tension between us crackles, and I don’t know if she’s going to scream at me or fall apart.

I take another step toward her, closing the gap between us. “You’re not alone in this. We’re all in this together—me, Kai, Dayton… we’re not giving up. He is going to come back to us.”

She swallows hard, her gaze dropping to the floor, and I can see her defenses start to crumble.

“I’m scared, Silas.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I’ve always seen her as unbreakable, but here, now, she’s raw.

Exposed.

And it fucking kills me to see her like this.

“I know,” I murmur, my hand reaching out to cup her face, my thumb brushing gently over her cheek. “We all are.”

Her eyes flicker up to mine, wide and uncertain, and before I can second-guess myself, I pull her closer. Her weight presses against me, and I wrap my arms around her, anchoring her to me like I can shield her from everything.

All the chaos, the fear, the murder—it fades into the background, drowned out by the steady rhythm of her breathing. Her chest rises and falls against mine, and for the first time in what feels like forever, the world feels quiet.

I press my hand to the back of her head, my fingers threading through the silk of her hair. “I’ve got you,” I whisper, my lips close to her ear. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She buries her face in my shoulder, and I feel the faint tremor in her body. It sends a surge of protectiveness through me so strong it almost hurts. She’s letting me see her like this—unguarded, unarmored—and I’m not sure I deserve it. But I’ll take it. I’ll take all of her, even the pieces she’s afraid to show anyone else.

“I’ll keep you safe,” I murmur against her hair, “even if it kills me.”

Her face lifts, eyes wide and searching, and then she tugs at my shirt, bringing me down to her level until her lips meet mine.

It’s not gentle.

It’s not soft.

There’s desperation in the way she kisses me like she’s pouring everything into it—the fear, the doubt.

I lose control in an instant.

My hand tightens in her hair, and I pull her closer, crashing my lips to hers with a hunger that feels like it might devour me. She tastes like something forbidden, sweet, and intoxicating. Her lips are soft and pliant beneath mine, and I lose myself in the kiss, my body pressing against hers like it’s the only way I can breathe.

The little gasp she makes fuels me, my other arm snaking around her waist to pull her flush against me. I need her closer, closer than skin and bone should allow. For weeks, I’ve been holding it all in, biting down on the desperate pull she has over me, but now? Now, I’m drowning in her, and I don’t want to be saved.

Her lips part, and I groan as our tongues meet, a heated clash that feels like a battle and surrender all at once. She’s bold, her tongue tangling with mine like she’s claiming me, like she knows exactly what she’s doing to me. Every stroke ignites a fire low in my stomach, a heat that spirals out of control as my cock begins to swell against her belly.

Her fingers slide under the hem of my shirt, her nails scraping lightly against my skin. The touch makes me shudder, a raw sound tearing from my throat. She’s electric—every brush of her fingers, every press of her body against mine, sends a shock straight to my core.

I break the kiss, gasping for air as I rest my forehead against hers. My breaths are heavy, ragged, and hers match. Her lips are swollen, glistening, pink from my kiss, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Her cheeks are flushed, her pupils blown wide, and her chest rises and falls like she’s just run a marathon.

“Little Devil.” My thumb brushes her lower lip, tracing the softness there, my gaze fixed on the way her lips tremble under my touch. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”

Her eyes meet mine, and they’re heavy with emotion. She grips my shirt tighter, her fingers digging into my skin as if I might disappear if she lets go. “Silas,” she whispers, her voice shaking, and the sound of my name on her lips undoes me all over again.

I kiss her again, softer this time, slower. It’s a promise, a confession, a fucking plea. Her lips yield to mine, and for a moment, nothing else exists—no Syndicate, no blood, no chaos. Just her. When I finally pull back, her eyes glisten with unshed tears, her lips parting as if she wants to say something but can’t find the words.

“Don’t cry,” I whisper. “You’re mine, Little Devil. You’ve always been mine. And I’ll burn the world down to keep it that way.”