The evening mist settled over Erythros University like a velvet curtain, dimming the last glow of daylight and sharpening every shadow in the courtyard. Students drifted across the lawn in small clusters, but Anabeth moved alone—her pace quick, her mind unsettled. Ever since Rafael assigned Cassian as her unofficial guardian, she'd been caught between gratitude, irritation… and something else she refused to name.
She hugged her books to her chest as she crossed the central walkway. A cold wind brushed her arms. It wasn't the weather that made her shiver—it was the unmistakable sense that she was being watched. Again.
She paused, glancing over her shoulder.
Nothing. Just the wind. Just dusk.
But she knew better.
Ever since the two masked men had tried to drag her into that van, her instincts had sharpened into survival blades. She felt eyes even when no one was visible. She heard footsteps where silence should have been. And worst of all, she sensed Rafael everywhere—his presence, his protection, his shadow wrapped around her like an invisible cloak.
She let out a shaky breath and kept walking.
When she reached the library steps, a figure stepped out from the far column—slow, intentional.
Cassian.
His tall frame blended with the dim light, but his expression was unmistakable—alert, intense, and somehow charged with something that wasn't purely professional.
"Hey," he said softly, like he didn't want to startle her.
"You scared me," she breathed out.
"You looked like you were about to sprint across campus," he replied, taking a small step closer. "I figured stepping out might be the lesser evil."
"I wasn't… scared," she lied.
His brow lifted slightly, as if he could read the truth right off her skin.
"Right," he said dryly. "And I'm the school mascot."
Despite herself, she smiled.
Cassian didn't smile back. He was studying her too closely, too intensely. "You feel watched," he said—not a question, just a quiet understanding.
Anabeth swallowed. "Is it… those people again?"
"Maybe," he said. "Or maybe it's just me. I've been following you since you left your hostel block."
Her eyes widened. The admission should have annoyed her, but instead a strange warmth sparked low in her chest.
"I'm supposed to protect you," he added. "That's the job."
"That's not comforting," she muttered. "It's like having a ghost."
"A good ghost," he said. "One that punches other ghosts in the face."
She laughed again. Cassian's presence, annoyingly, had begun to feel familiar. Safe. But tonight… something felt different. Electrified. Like the air between them had decided on its own to thicken.
He stepped beside her. "Come on. It's getting darker than I like."
She hesitated.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere you can breathe."
She blinked. "Cassian—"
But he was already walking slowly toward the side garden path, the way lit by the faint golden glow of antique lamps. She followed, partly out of trust… partly out of curiosity… and partly because she didn't want to be alone anymore.
As they reached the quieter part of campus, the noise of students faded into a low hum. Trees arched overhead, and the stone benches were dusted with fallen petals. The night smelled like damp earth and distant rain.
Cassian stopped beneath an old oak tree and turned to face her.
His eyes softened. "Better?"
"Yes," she said, though her pulse betrayed her.
He leaned one shoulder against the tree, crossing his arms. "You're tense. Even your breathing is different."
"You notice my breathing?" she said, startled.
"I notice everything about you," he replied—too direct, too honest.
Her heartbeat stumbled.
A breeze stirred, lifting a strand of her hair across her face. Cassian reached out impulsively—then froze mid-motion, his hand inches from her cheek. His jaw clenched, as if he were fighting with himself.
"I probably shouldn't touch you," he murmured.
"Why?" she whispered.
His gaze dropped to her lips before flicking away. "Because Rafael would break my ribs."
The blush that hit her was instant—and shamefully warm.
"So you're afraid of him?" she asked.
"I'm not afraid of anyone," he said.
Then his voice lowered, almost a growl. "But I respect boundaries… most of the time."
The tension between them crackled—unspoken, undeniable.
Anabeth looked away. "Everyone keeps treating me like I'm fragile."
"That's not it," he said. "You're not fragile. You're just… the spark that everyone is trying to steal."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you shine too brightly for the kind of world Rafael lives in."
Her breath caught. No one had ever said something like that to her. Not with such conviction.
Cassian pushed off the tree and stepped closer—slow, deliberate, like approaching a frightened bird.
"I need to tell you something," he said. "But you have to stay calm."
She stiffened. "What?"
"You weren't imagining the person watching you today."
Her stomach dropped. "Who was it?"
"We don't know. Yet." He paused. "But I saw him. And he wasn't a student."
Fear shot through her. Cassian saw it immediately.
"Hey," he said gently, placing a hand on her arm—not quite a touch, more like a warning, a grounding anchor. "I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."
His warm fingers slid fully around her forearm—not intimate, but protective in a way that shot warmth up her skin.
She looked up at him, her voice small. "Why do you care so much?"
He exhaled, and it sounded like defeat. "Because I'm human. And because you're—"
He cut himself off.
"I'm what?" she whispered.
Cassian didn't answer. Instead, his eyes fell to her lips again, lingering a little too long, before he abruptly stepped back as if burned.
"We should get you to the hostel," he said, voice tight. "Before Rafael senses something."
Anabeth's heart twisted at the sudden distance.
But as they walked side by side through the garden, the tension remained—thick, pulsing, electric.
Three flames.
Rafael's possessive protection.
Cassian's unspoken attraction.
And her own rising desire to understand the fire burning between them all.
She didn't know it yet, but this was only the beginning.
The third flame had finally ignited.