HAZEL
I sat rigid in the passenger seat, my hands clenched around my purse like it might try to escape if I loosened my grip. Inside, the aphrodisiac packet felt heavier than physics allowed. The weight of it pressed against my palm through the leather, a small thing carrying the full force of everything I'd set in motion.
Beside me, Lysander drove without speaking. His jaw was locked tight enough that I could see the muscle jumping beneath his skin. His knuckles had gone pale where they gripped the steering wheel, bloodless and strained. The silence between us felt thick enough to choke on, broken only by the engine's steady hum and the faint rush of air through the cracked windows.
