The rain came without warning.
The clouds opened suddenly above the campus courtyard, sending everyone scrambling for shelter. Students squealed, books held over their heads, shoes slapping against wet concrete. But Anabeth stood still for a moment, letting the cold drops touch her skin. It felt like the sky was washing away the tension that had been building inside her for days.
She had barely slept.
Not after what happened with Rafael in the hallway.
Not after the way Cassian had looked at her.
Not after feeling danger creeping closer and closer.
Her life had become a storm — and she was standing directly in the center.
She shook droplets from her hair and hurried toward the library steps, but halfway there, someone grabbed her wrist gently from behind.
A tall figure.
Black jacket.
Dark hair wet and curling.
Eyes sharp even in the rain.
Cassian.
He didn't say a word at first. Just stood there with the storm behind him, watching her like she was the only steady thing left in his world.
"You'll get sick," he finally said, voice low.
"You're in the rain too," she shot back.
He didn't smile, but something shifted in his eyes.
He stepped closer — too close.
Close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath mixing with the cold air.
"Rafael will kill me if I let anything happen to you," Cassian murmured.
The guilt in his voice startled her. Cassian never sounded uncertain. Never sounded… human. But today, he looked almost conflicted, like he was wrestling with something he had no name for.
"I'm fine on my own," she whispered.
"No," he replied, "you're not."
His hand moved from her wrist to her elbow, steadying her as another burst of thunder shook the sky. His touch was warm, firm, steady — grounding. And even though she knew Cassian wasn't Rafael, her heart still reacted, beating too loudly against her ribs.
"Come on," he said. "Inside."
But before they reached the library doors, a familiar voice sliced through the rain.
"Cassian."
Anabeth froze.
Rafael.
He stood under the stone archway near the library entrance, one hand in his pocket, rainwater dripping from his hair, jaw clenched so tightly it looked like he was barely holding himself together.
His eyes weren't on Cassian, though.
They were on her wrist.
On the place where Cassian had touched her.
Cassian didn't move his hand.
Rafael noticed.
The tension could have snapped steel.
Anabeth stepped back first, breaking the contact. Cassian let her go immediately, but Rafael had already seen enough.
Cassian gave a respectful nod. "Boss."
Rafael ignored him completely.
"Anabeth," he said softly, but the softness was dangerous in itself.
She walked toward him slowly, each step echoing in her chest. The closer she got, the hotter the air felt — not from anger, but from something far more volatile.
When she reached him, Rafael lifted a hand to her cheek, brushing away raindrops with the gentleness of someone who handled fragile things for fear they might shatter.
"You're cold," he murmured, thumb tracing her skin.
"Rain does that," she breathed, unable to meet his eyes.
But Rafael tilted her chin up with one finger.
"Look at me."
She did.
And the world fell away.
The rain.
The students.
Even Cassian.
Only Rafael remained — the warmth of his hand, the intensity of his gaze, the way his presence wrapped around her like heat spreading under her skin.
"You scared me today," he admitted quietly, leaning close enough that she felt his breath brush her lips.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"You should be," he said, but the words held no anger — only the raw truth of how much he cared.
His forehead pressed against hers, rain dripping between them, and Anabeth inhaled the scent of him: warm, smoky, familiar, addictive. She remembered his hands on her. His voice in her ear. The way he had nearly lost control last time.
His fingers slid to the back of her neck, drawing her closer. Not kissing her — not yet — but hovering just close enough that the promise of it made her legs weak.
"Tell me you're okay," he said, voice breaking just slightly.
"I'm okay," she whispered. "Now."
His hand tightened gently at her waist, pulling her one step closer, their bodies almost touching, warmth meeting cold rain in a contrast that set her skin on fire.
"I shouldn't touch you here," he breathed, "but I can't help it."
The confession made her chest heat.
Her hands reached for his jacket without thinking, grabbing the wet fabric as if she needed him to stay anchored to her. Rafael's breath hitched — barely audible, but real.
"Anabeth…" he warned softly, desire threaded through the tension.
She swallowed, feeling her heartbeat pulse everywhere. "Rafael."
Just his name made something inside him snap.
He slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him — not roughly, but with a hunger he couldn't hide. The heat of his body burned through the rain-soaked clothes, sending sparks racing up her spine.
Her lips parted slightly, and Rafael dipped his head, his mouth brushing her ear, his voice trembling with restraint.
"You have no idea what you do to me."
Every word melted into her skin.
Anabeth's fingers curled into his jacket, needing more — not a kiss, not anything improper, just him, his closeness, his warmth, the safety and danger combined.
"Rafael, people are watching," she whispered, breath shaky.
"I don't care," he murmured, lips grazing her temple. "I only care about you."
That made her chest tighten.
Before he could lose control entirely, Cassian cleared his throat from a few feet away.
The moment shattered.
Rain, reality, danger — it all came crashing back.
Rafael's hand slid reluctantly from her waist, but his eyes didn't leave her for a second.
"Come with me," he said. Not a command — a plea.
And Anabeth nodded, because resisting him was impossible.
Rafael took her hand — not roughly, but with a possessive protectiveness that sent another wave of heat through her — and led her away from the courtyard.
Cassian watched them go, unreadable but burning inside.
And somewhere above, in a window across campus…
The shadow was still watching.