The room stayed silent long after Rafael spoke.
We bait him.
The words hung in the air like smoke after an explosion.
Anabeth stood perfectly still, her heartbeat loud in her ears. The fear was still there — crawling under her skin — but something else was rising now. Anger. Resolve. A refusal to be powerless.
Cassian was the first to break the silence.
"That's dangerous," he said flatly.
Rafael turned on him. "Everything about this is dangerous."
"You're talking about turning her into a target."
Rafael's eyes flashed. "She already is."
Anabeth lifted her chin. "Stop talking like I'm not here."
Both men froze.
She stepped forward, hands clenched at her sides. "If someone is hunting me, then I deserve to know why. And if there's another truth you're hiding, I want it now."
Cassian looked away.
Rafael didn't.
He stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time — not as someone to protect, but someone strong enough to stand in the fire.
"There is more," Rafael admitted quietly.
Her stomach dropped. "Of course there is."
Cassian's jaw tightened. "Rafael—"
"She needs to know," Rafael said firmly. "If we're doing this, we do it clean."
Anabeth crossed her arms. "Know what?"
Rafael exhaled slowly, as if bracing himself.
"Elliot Moore isn't acting alone."
The air left her lungs.
"What do you mean?" she whispered.
"He never does," Cassian added. "Men like him don't stalk without encouragement."
Anabeth shook her head. "Encouragement from who?"
Rafael's voice dropped.
"From someone who benefits if you're scared."
Her blood ran cold.
Cassian pulled out his phone and placed it on the table, sliding it toward her.
"Look."
She hesitated — then picked it up.
Photos filled the screen.
Not of her alone.
Photos of her with Rafael.
Her entering his car.
Her walking beside Cassian.
Her leaving campus buildings.
Taken from different angles.
Different days.
Different distances.
"This wasn't one person," Cassian said. "This was surveillance."
Anabeth's hands began to shake. "Who would want this?"
Rafael answered without hesitation.
"My enemies."
Her head snapped up. "You told me your world wouldn't touch mine."
"I told you what I hoped," Rafael said. "Not what was guaranteed."
Cassian leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Someone wanted proof that Rafael had a weakness."
Anabeth swallowed hard. "Me."
"Yes," Rafael said. "And once Elliot realized you mattered to me, he became obsessed. Not just with you — but with what you represent."
Her knees felt weak.
"But he's not the one pulling the strings," Cassian continued. "He was recruited."
Her breath hitched. "By who?"
Cassian hesitated.
Rafael's jaw tightened.
Then Cassian said the name.
"Professor Hale."
The world tilted.
"No," Anabeth whispered. "That's impossible."
Professor Hale — respected, calm, brilliant. The man who taught her first political science course. The man who praised her essays. The man who encouraged her confidence.
Rafael's voice was steady but lethal. "He's not who he pretends to be."
Cassian nodded. "He's a financial strategist. Underground. Launders money. Connects powerful people who never want to meet."
Anabeth shook her head in disbelief. "He was kind to me."
"That's how predators work," Cassian said softly.
Her stomach churned.
"He watched you grow comfortable," Rafael continued. "He saw how easily people trusted you. And when he learned who you were with…"
Rafael's eyes darkened.
"He saw an opportunity."
Anabeth's voice trembled. "So he sent Elliot to watch me?"
"To study you," Cassian corrected. "To see how far he could push before you broke."
Tears burned behind her eyes — but she refused to let them fall.
"And the text?" she asked. "The message he sent me?"
Cassian's expression hardened. "That wasn't Elliot."
Her heart slammed violently.
"That message came from a burner phone registered to a staff-only network," Cassian said. "Inside campus."
Rafael clenched his fists. "Hale wanted you afraid enough to cling to me."
Anabeth stared at him. "Why?"
"Because when a man is distracted," Rafael said, "he makes mistakes."
Cassian added quietly, "And when he loses control… he becomes predictable."
Silence swallowed the room.
Then Anabeth spoke — her voice quiet, but unbreakable.
"So this isn't just about me being watched."
"No," Rafael said.
"It's about using me," she finished.
Rafael stepped closer, eyes fierce. "No one uses you. Not anymore."
Cassian nodded. "Which is why we flip the script."
Anabeth's gaze sharpened. "How?"
Cassian straightened. "You go back to campus."
Rafael spun on him instantly. "Absolutely not."
"She goes back," Cassian repeated. "With protection. With eyes everywhere."
Rafael's jealousy ignited. "You want to put her back where he can reach her?"
"I want to put her where he thinks he has control," Cassian said. "And take it away."
Anabeth felt something shift inside her — fear turning into power.
"I'll do it," she said.
Both men turned to her sharply.
"No," Rafael said immediately. "I won't allow it."
She stepped toward him, meeting his gaze. "You don't own me, Rafael."
The words hit him hard.
"I care about you," she continued. "But I won't live hiding while people decide my life behind my back."
Rafael's jealousy warred with his respect.
Cassian watched her closely — not with desire, not with control — but with admiration.
"You'd be bait," Rafael said tightly.
"I'd be visible," she corrected. "There's a difference."
Rafael exhaled, dragging a hand down his face.
"You're asking me to watch you walk back into danger," he said.
She reached for his hand. "I'm asking you to trust me."
Their eyes locked.
Finally — painfully — Rafael nodded once.
"If anything happens," he said, voice dark, "I end everything."
Cassian gave a small nod. "Then we move tomorrow."
Anabeth swallowed. "Tomorrow?"
"Yes," Cassian said. "The longer we wait, the more control they think they have."
Rafael looked at her, jealousy simmering beneath the surface — not just of the enemy…
…but of Cassian, who stood beside her in this decision.
"Stay close to me on campus," Rafael said. "Always."
Cassian added quietly, "And never assume you're alone."
Anabeth took a deep breath.
Campus.
Enemies hiding as teachers.
A stalker still obsessed.
Two powerful men watching her every move — one burning with jealousy, the other with restraint.
And somewhere within the university walls…
Professor Hale was already planning his next move.
The Fourth Fire had burned away illusions.
Now only truth remained.
And truth was far more dangerous than shadows.