Page 54 of In Shadows We Dance

My heart rate only begins to settle when I finally reach my building, the lock clicking shut behind me.

Safe. For now.

“Ileana? You’re home early. Is everything okay?” Mom’s voice comes from the kitchen.

I force a smile, and walk into the kitchen. “Yeah. Just wasn’t feeling great. Headache.”

Her eyes scan me, searching, and I shift my weight, willing myself to stay steady under her gaze.

“You do look a bit pale. Why don’t you go and lie down?”

Before I can respond, Dad steps into the doorway. “Why are you home? Did something happen?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer. “I told you, if they try to make you participate?—”

The fear, the anxiety, the loneliness,everythingboils over. “I told you. I wasn’t feeling well.”

Mom’s eyes widen, and Dad’s expression darkens. “Watch your tone.”

I bite my lip, fingers clenching into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms while I try and push down the overwhelming need to yell.

“I just need to rest.” I force the words out, fighting tokeep my voice steady. “Can I please go to my room?”

For a moment, he doesn’t say anything. He just stands there, staring at me. Then he nods. “Fine. Go. But we’ll talk about this later.”

I escape to my room, shutting the door behind me. My bed beckons, but the second I lie down, his image fills my mind again.

His breath against my neck. His voice. The words he whispered.

I close my eyes, but it’s no use. He’s still there.

Warm breath against my skin, fingers brushing over my throat, my side, my ribs …

He’s tearing through my defenses, slipping past the walls I’ve built, and I don’t know how to stop it.

I don’t know if I even want to.

I roll onto my side, curling into myself. I don’t want to feel this way. I don’t want to be weak, to let him have this kind of power over me.

I want to fight him. I want to fight myself. But the memory of his touch burns, and I can’t stop myself from wanting more.

CHAPTER 28

Unraveling Secrets

WREN

From my vantagepoint near the second-floor window, I watch Ileana hurry across the courtyard, her every step betraying how thoroughly I’ve shaken her world. The memory of her melting against me in the auditorium before catching herself sends a strong stab of desire through me. The way she fought against her own surrender, how her pulse raced beneath my touch when I claimed her mouth …

But it’s not enough. Not anymore. I want more than the fleeting taste of her fear and confusion. I crave her secrets, her history, everything she hides behind those guarded eyes. I want to own every piece of her existence.

This isn’t like the games I’ve played before. I’ve discovered secrets, torn down facades for the thrill of watching people break. But with her, it’s deeper. She’s more than a target, a way to break up the boredom. She’s a mystery I need to solve and possess.

The halls are crowded with lunch time traffic as I make my way to calculus. The empty seat in front of me gives me space to think, to relive the way her lips parted beneath mine, the way her nipples hardened under my touch, to plan my next move. Her scent clings to my shirt, teasing me, and my fingers itch to pull her close again.

But this isn’t just about her body. There’s something more waiting beneath the surface. A secret I can almost taste.

My phone stays hidden beneath my desk as I swipe through a few browser windows. I pull up the property records for her apartment. The routine search becomes something far more intriguing when the results appear. Sixteen years of payments, all made in cash. No bank transfers, no checks, no digital footprint at all. Just cash. Consistently.

For a family with no apparent income, it’s an anomaly. Their trail is too clean … and it raises even more questions. I dig further, looking for any record of where they lived before Silverlake Rapids, but there’s nothing. No previous addresses. No connections.

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