Jay's POV
The morning sun felt too bright for the heavy weight in my chest ☀️⚖️. My phone vibrated under my pillow—a message from Alex.
"Boss, confirmed. Lucas was spotted at the North Docks last night. He's looking for someone. Stay low. ⚠️🚢"
My blood turned to pure ice 🧊. Before I could even process the danger, I noticed something on my nightstand that wasn't there last night. A small, silver coin with a notched edge—Lucas's lethal calling card 🪙.
My breath hitched as I realized the "shadow" hadn't just been outside; he had been standing in my room while I slept, watching me 🌑👁️.
"Jay? You coming for breakfast? 🍳" Keifer's voice barked from the other side of the door.
I shoved the coin and the secret phone into my bag, my hands trembling slightly with a mix of fury and fear 🎒🫨.
I opened the door to find Keifer leaning against the wall, looking far too handsome in his school uniform as if he stepped out of a magazine 👔✨.
"You're pale, Jay. Still thinking about our 'accident'? 😏" he teased, leaning deep into my personal space to intentionally fluster me and watch me squirm 💓.
"I told you not to mention it, Keifer," I snapped, trying to push past him, but he blocked my path like a wall of solid muscle, his eyes narrowing as he sensed my genuine, raw panic 🧱👀.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight today," he said, his voice dropping the teasing tone for something much more possessive and dark 🖤🦁.
"Since we're engaged , it's my duty to take you school myself. No arguments. 🏎️💨"
The day at school only got more chaotic 😵💫. Section e still with their chaos and I soin felt weight in chest settle down for a while.
During lunch, a new transfer student named Xavier form Section Aapproached our table.He greeted everyone then our eyes met.
The moment our eyes met, my "killer instincts" screamed in warning 🚨⚔️. Xavier wasn't just a student; he was one of the elite mercenaries I had worked with back in Italy 🇮🇹🔫.
"Long time no see, Jay," Xavier smirked, reaching out to touch my shoulder with a familiarity that made my skin crawl 🐍.
Before he could make contact, Keifer's hand clamped around Xavier's wrist like a crushing steel vice 🦾💢. The air between them crackled with instant, lethal hatred ⚡️.
"She doesn't know you," Keifer growled, his grumpy 'business mode' shifting into something much more dangerous and protective—a predator guarding his mate 🐅🔥.
"Is that so, Jay?" Xavier challenged, his eyes full of dark secrets and unspoken threats 🎭.
My mind was spinning—Lucas was nearby, a mercenary was in my school, and Keifer was seconds away from a bloody fistfight 🥊🩸. Under the immense pressure, my filter finally broke 🧨. They both started arguing. I'm fine now with their nonsense.
"Stop it, Kwanan! Both of you! 🛑" I yelled, the forbidden nickname slipping out in my sheer desperation.
The hallway went dead silent 🔇. Keifer froze, his gaze snapping to mine, a mix of shock and a strange, dark triumph burning in his eyes 🌑🏆. I had broken my promise, and now I was deeper in his debt than ever before ⛓️
Keifer's POV
She called me it. She actually called me Kwanan . Even in the middle of a confrontation with this new guy—who I already wanted to erase from existence—the sound of that name coming from her lips made my heart thud painfully against my ribs 💓🥁.
I didn't care about the new guy anymore. I looked at Jay, seeing the hidden terror and vulnerability behind her eyes 🥺. She was hiding something massive, something that involved silver coins 🪙 and strange, dangerous transfer students.
But as I pulled her away from the crowd with a grip that said I was never letting go 🤝💪, I realized one thing: I didn't just like her. I was becoming obsessed with keeping her safe 🖤🔥. I would find what is actually troubling her, and I would make sure Jay never had a reason to look as scared as she did right now 🦁🛡️.
Jay's POV
What the hell. I promised him I won't you this name.Niw, look I used it in front of everyone.Everyone is teasing us.And Keifer looking at me with dark eyes.
The atmosphere and the canteen soon became normal.I tried to smile, but my hand touched that lethal silver coin inside my pocket 🪙. And the ghost came back in my mind.
"Jay, you're spaced out again," Aries said, leaning over the table. His brotherly instinct waking up and he knew my 'business mode' better than anyone else in the world 🌎.
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper 🤫. "Your eyes are cold, Jay. Something happened last night? 🧊🧥. Anyone troubled you ?"
"I'm just tired, Aries.New place so I can't sleep properly," I lied, avoiding his piercing gaze 🙈.
"Liar," he muttered, his protective brotherly instincts flaring like a wildfire 🔥.
"If someone is bothering you, tell me. I'll handle it 👊."
"She doesn't need you to handle it, Aries," Keifer's voice boomed as he sat down heavily beside me, his arm sliding firmly and possessively around my waist, claiming his territory in front of everyone 🦁🧡.
"Ooh! Look at the lovebirds! 🕊️💞" Freya squealed, clapping her hands.
"Get a room, you two! 🏨😂" Rakki teased, while the rest of the group started chanting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! 💋🗣️"
I felt the heat rising to my face. "Stop it! We aren't... it's not like that! 🙅♀️💢" I stuttered, my heart racing at his touch.
"Isn't it, Jay? 😏" Keifer whispered into my ear, his lips brushing against my sensitive lobe, sending a powerful shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with fear ⚡🫠.
Just then, Xavier, walked past our table. He paused, giving me a slow, lingering wink 😉. "See you at training later, Jay. I missed your moves... ⚔️😏"
The table went silent 🔇. The air around Keifer turned lethally sub-zero ❄️☠️.
"Who the hell is that? 🤨" Aries asked, his eyes narrowing at Xavier's retreating back.
"Just an old acquaintance from New York," I whispered, my heart hammering because I knew Keifer was about to explode 🌋.
Keifer's POV
'I missed your moves'? My blood was literally boiling in my veins 🩸🔥. I didn't care who that guy was; the way he looked at Jay made me want to tear the entire school down 🏗️💢.
The moment the bell rang 🔔, I dragged Jay into an empty music room, slamming the door shut and locking it with a click 🚪🔒.
"What are you doing, Keifer?! 😡" Jay yelled, looking flustered.
"Who is he, Jay? And don't you dare lie to me," I growled, trapping her against the piano 🎹. I leaned in so close our noses were touching, my breath hitching as I caught the intoxicating scent of her perfume 🌹👃.
"He's nobody! Just someone from my past!" she shouted, but her voice wavered as she felt my proximity 💓.
"He looked at you like he owned you," I hissed, my gaze dropping hungrily to her lips, remembering the sweetness of our 'accident' in the car 🚗💋. My jealousy was a physical ache 💔. "I don't like other men looking at what's mine... 👿👑"
"I'm not yours, Keifer! 😤" she breathed out, but she didn't push me away. In fact, she tilted her head back, her eyes turning dark with a dangerous mix of defiance and desire 🌑🔥.
"Then why are you trembling? 💓" I whispered, my hand sliding from the wall to the back of her neck, my thumb stroking her jawline with agonizing slowness 🧤✨.
"Why is your heart beating as fast as mine? 🥁"
I didn't wait for an answer. I crashed my lips onto hers, not softly like before, but with a demanding, jealous hunger that claimed every secret she was keeping 👄💥. For a second, she stiffened, I thought she would pull back but then she melted, her hands winding into my hair as she kissed me back just as fiercely 🥵🖐️.
We were interrupted by the handle of the door rattling violently ✊🚪.
"Jay? Keifer? I know you're in there!" Aries's voice yelled from the hallway. "If you're making out, I'm breaking this door down! 🦶🪓"
We pulled apart, both of us breathless and disheveled. Jay's lips were swollen and red 👄💄, a sight that made me feel a dark, primal sense of satisfaction 😈.
"Your brother is a total mood killer," I muttered, smirking as I wiped a smudge of her lip gloss off my thumb with a wink 😉🤙.
"Shut up",she said flustered, her cheeks burning.