Page 269 of Midnights
In quieter moments, usually in the mornings before Elle bursts into my room declaring I've hadmore than enough beauty sleep, my thoughts always seem to drift to Kane.
It’s not intentional, but he’s always there, on the edge of my mind.
I've lost count of the nights I've sunk into the bath only to end up right back in the library. The way he looked at me. The way he touched me. The way his voice burned through my veins. And yeah—every single time it leaves me hot, restless, and ridiculously turned on like some desperate idiot
One particularly heated memory had me taking matters into my own hands, and even that wasn't enough to satisfy the ache.
I don’t know how it happened, but… I miss him.
Despite missing Kane, I’ve actually grown close to people here, which means every time I think about him, I also think about leaving. And apparently, I don't get to want both.
I’ve even grown close to Kody—the guy who barely acknowledged me when I first got here. Everyone told me he wasjust doing his job.And yet, somehow, I wore him down. Turns out he's got a surprisingly sharp sense of humor.Guess sneaking out was good for something after all.
When I can’t sleep he’s always there, leaning against the wall. With his arms crossed, ready with some dry remark that never fails to make me laugh.
Our late-night chats have become something I’ve come to love.
He pretends to be annoyed when I disturb hiswork,but I've caught the amusement in his eyes more than once, especially when we start talking about sports andAristotle, which I find absolutely hilarious.
He’ll insist I go back to bed, grumbling about how I'll regret it in the morning, but I can tell he secretly loves it.
Most of our conversations are me teasing him about his overly serious demeanor, and him throwing it right back with a perfectly timed comment about how if I spent more time learning about magic than harassing him, I wouldn’t be awake in the middle of the night.
But last night, when he caught me sneaking around again, something was different. I don’t know what it is, but I know I’m getting closer to something they don’t want me to know. Why else would they care where I go?
That’s why, sitting in Cam's office—Cam's empty office—the urge to snoop is impossible to ignore. He's usually glued to this chair before I even show up. The fact that he isn't yet feels like an opportunity I'm not about to waste.
I haven’t seen much of this place beyond the parts Cam, Elle, and Tyler keep me confined to with their relentless routines.
For all the space this place has, my world here feels ridiculously small. Even the people I get to see are limited.
So right now, the need to knowsomethingoutweighs common sense. I start to look around the room and it’s surprisingly sparse. There's no pictures, no little trinkets. There's actually nothing personal at all. It's almost like the space is designed to give nothing away.
A thought creeps in, and it's one I’ve had a few times, but keep shoving it aside.
Could Cam be the King?
I’ve never heard anyone mention the king by name. And every time Cam disappears, it’s brushed off as him doingCam stuff, which feels like a convenient excuse.
It would explain a lot. Like why everyone defers to him. Or why he's constantly pulled away by responsibilities at the most inconvenient times.
I shake my head, laughing to myself, trying to shake the thought. That's ridiculous… Right?
Except, nothing about this place is normal. And if anyone could keep a secret like that, it would be Cam.
I wander over to the nearest shelf, trailing my fingers along the spines of the books. Most of them are in languages I don’t recognize. Their titles are written in intricate, looping scripts that look more decorative than practical, and curiosity gets the best of me.
I grab one at random and flip it open. The text is crammed in so tight I can't make sense of a single word, and just skimming it makes my head spin.Hard pass.I turn the page, earning myself a paper cut, and snap the book shut before putting it back on the shelf.
“Ow.”
I stick my finger in my mouth like that's going to do anything. There's so much I don't know about this place or the people in it, so I keep snooping. The room gives me nothing. Shocker.
Could Cam really be hiding something that big?
There’s a difference between being private and being calculated, and the longer I’m here, the more I wonder if there’s more to Cam than he lets on.It’s not paranoia if the pieces fit, right?
The thought hangs on, pressing heavier the longer I stand here. I try to piece together scraps of conversation, the way people get weird around him, and the way he disappears without warning… I'm starting to think they're all adding up.
