The air in the cafe felt thin, vibrating with the secret Dafne had finally let slip. Chloe didn't look at her with the crushing, suffocating pity of her parents; she looked at her with a fierce, burning focus.
"If his voice is a hand," Chloe whispered, her eyes tracking the street outside, "then we have to make sure he never gets close enough to touch you again."
Chloe stood up, pulling Dafne with her. "Stay behind me. Keep your head down. We're taking the back alley."
Dafne obeyed instantly. Her body felt lighter under Chloe's protective commands, as if Chloe was building a shield of words around her. They slipped through the kitchen of the cafe—the staff too busy to notice two schoolgirls—and out into the narrow, brick-lined service alley.
They moved like shadows. Chloe led the way, her hand firmly gripping Dafne's sleeve. Every time a car engine hummed in the distance, Dafne's heart skipped, her mind conjuring the image of that blue sedan rounding the corner, Henderson leaning out the window to speak the words that would end her life.
"Almost there," Chloe breathed as they reached the rear gate of the Sterling property. "Go inside. Lock every door. Don't answer the phone unless it's me or Maya. Do you hear me?"
"Yes," Dafne whispered, her voice a ghost of a sound.
She slipped through the gate and vanished into the house, leaving Chloe standing in the alley, her knuckles white as she stared back toward the main road.
The Confrontation on the CurbA few blocks away, the blue sedan was idling at a red light. Henderson was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, his eyes scanning the sidewalk with a hungry, restless energy. He was so focused on finding "his girl" that he didn't notice the black SUV pull up alongside him, effectively pinning him against the curb.
The back window of the SUV rolled down.
Raphael Vane sat in the shadows of the plush leather interior, looking like a young king surveying a peasant who had wandered into the wrong kingdom.
"Mr. Henderson, I presume?" Raphael's voice was a low, melodic threat.
Henderson jolted, his head snapping toward the SUV. He saw a boy—barely a man—with eyes that held more coldness than the winter he'd left behind. "Who are you? I'm just looking for directions."
"You're looking for a girl named Dafne," Raphael corrected, his tone bored but sharp. "And unfortunately for you, she's currently under the protection of the Vane family. Which means you're trespassing on private property."
Henderson's face shifted. The "lost traveler" mask fell away, revealing the jagged, ugly edge of the man beneath. "She's mine. Her parents owe me. They ran away before we finished our business. I'm just here to collect."
Raphael felt a surge of something he couldn't quite name. It wasn't justice—it was the possessive rage of a collector who didn't like other people touching his glass.
"You aren't collecting anything," Raphael said. He leaned forward, the light hitting the sharp line of his jaw. "In this city, my brother owns the police, the judges, and the ground you're currently leaking oil on. If you stay in Aurelia past sunset, I won't call the authorities. I'll call the men who handle 'refuse' for my family."
Henderson chuckled, a wet, unpleasant sound. "You think you're scary, kid? I know that girl's soul. I know how to make her walk into a fire just by asking nicely. You're just playing with a toy you don't understand."
Raphael's hand tightened on the armrest. "Get out of the car."
The command was cold, but Henderson wasn't like Dafne. He didn't have the Echo. He just smirked. "I don't take orders from schoolboys."
"Then take one from the men behind you," Raphael said, nodding toward the two burly security guards who had stepped out of the SUV's front doors, their suits straining against their shoulders.
Henderson looked in the rearview mirror, his smirk fading. He realized he had wandered into a different kind of jungle.
"This isn't over," Henderson hissed, putting the car in gear. "She's a habit I can't break."
"If you come near her again," Raphael said, his voice dropping into a whisper that felt like a death sentence, "I will ensure you never speak another word to anyone. Ever. Now, leave my city."
The AftermathRaphael watched the blue sedan screech away, heading toward the highway. He didn't feel relieved. He felt a burning curiosity.
I know how to make her walk into a fire just by asking nicely.
The man's words echoed in Raphael's mind. He looked toward the Sterling house in the distance. He had protected her, but not out of the goodness of his heart. He had protected her because he wanted to be the only one who knew the secret.
He pulled out his phone and sent a single text to Dafne.
He's gone. For now. But we need to talk about why a ghost is chasing you, little bird. See you tomorrow.
Inside her darkened room, Dafne saw the screen of her new phone (which her mother had hurriedly replaced that afternoon) light up. She read the message, her breath hitching.
She was safe from Henderson. But as she looked at Raphael's name on the screen, she realized she had simply traded a monster for a master.