Lira returned home just before dusk, the sky bruised violet above the rooftops.
She kept the book aside the moment she entered her room—gently, carefully—as if it might react to being handled too roughly.
She didn't open it.
Not yet.
When she stepped into the dining room, she froze.
Seraphine.
Aurelia.
Caelen.
All seated. Waiting.
Caelen lifted his hand and motioned her over. "Lira."
She walked in slowly.
The air felt heavier than usual. He gestured to the empty chair beside him.
"Sit."
She did.
Aurelia leaned forward first, pink eyes steady, unblinking. "You know people think our family is… strange."
Lira nodded.
Of course she knew.
The whispers about their eyes.
The stares. The distance people kept.
Caelen took over, voice calm but controlled. "The red-eyed boy. The new one in your class. Boy's section."
Lira's fingers tightened slightly on her lap.
"You should avoid him."
The words dropped flat on the table.
"Why?" she asked immediately.
Caelen paused. Too long.
"He's not someone you should get involved with."
"That's not a reason," Lira pressed.
His jaw tightened. "It's better that way."
Silence.
Seraphine's voice cut in, firm and cool. "You're the youngest here, Lira. Sometimes you don't need every explanation. You just need to listen."
The weight of that settled over her.
She nodded slowly.
Outwardly obedient.
Inside?
Her thoughts sharpened.
Why now?
Why him?
Why the sudden warning?
If they wanted her to ignore him… they'd just made it impossible.
Aurelia's expression shifted in an instant—soft again, warm again.
She smiled like nothing had happened.
"Go freshen up. Dinner's almost ready. It's been a long day."
Just like that, the tension dissolved.
But as Lira stood, one thing was clear:
They weren't protecting her from something small.
And whatever they weren't saying—
She was going to find out.
---------
The next morning, Lira dressed like usual.
Almost.
Today she added a black hat, low over her hair, shadowing most of her face. The sun was sharp—too sharp—spilling gold across the rooftops like it meant to burn.
She paused outside Caelen's room.
Knocked once.
No answer.
She tried the handle. Empty.
Her stomach dipped. Caelen never left without saying something.
Weird.
Still, she headed out alone.
The walk to school felt ordinary. Birds. Wind. The distant hum of traffic. Nothing out of place.
At the gate, she spotted Ronan just as he rolled in, parking his bicycle with an easy motion. Morning light caught in his dark hair.
She didn't think.
She walked toward him.
"Morning," she said.
He glanced at her, gave a small nod. "You're early. School doesn't start until nine. It's eight-thirty."
She lifted a brow. "You're here early too."
A beat.
He nodded again. "Guess I am."
He smiled.
For a split second, something flashed in the sunlight.
Sharp.
Not just teeth.
Fangs.
Her breath stalled. Maybe it was the angle. The light. Her imagination.
She tilted her head slightly, studying him.
"I wasn't going to let it go," she said quietly. "What happened yesterday? What were you guys talking about?"
His expression didn't change.
"It was nothing."
Nothing.
The word fell too smoothly.
They started walking inside together. The campus stretched wide—stone paths, tall trees, sunlight spilling across the lawns. It was beautiful in the morning, almost peaceful.
Ronan glanced sideways at her. "Where do you usually go before school starts?"
"It's a big place," she said. "I buy strawberry yogurt, go behind the west building. There's a low wall. I sit there. Read. Watch the campus wake up."
She didn't mention that it helped her think.
He nodded once.
"Go wait there," he said. "I'll get the drinks."
"For both of us?"
A faint smirk touched his mouth. "Yeah."
He turned toward the café near the courtyard.
Lira watched him walk away.
The sun caught his profile again.
For a brief second—
Those fangs flashed.
And this time—
She was sure.
It didn't take long.
Ronan returned with two bottles—strawberry for her, banana for him. He handed hers over without a word and sat beside her on the ground. Close… but not close enough to touch.
Careful distance.
Lira sighed, pulling her hair forward over her shoulder, hiding part of her face beneath the brim of her hat. She took a sip.
For a split second—
Her eyes flashed.
Faint. Silver-blue. Gone just as quickly.
Ronan didn't react. He stared ahead at the trees swaying in the morning light.
"Lucien isn't normal," she said quietly.
Ronan's gaze shifted. "Why do you think that?"
"The first time I met him…" Her voice lowered. "He was feeding on a man. Blood. I didn't want to see it for what it was. Because vampires aren't real."
Silence.
"Are you sure?" Ronan asked softly.
She nodded.
Slowly—very slowly—he reached over and took the yogurt bottle from her hand. His fingers were pale. Long. Cool as they brushed hers.
She blinked, watching him stand.
He extended his hand toward her.
She hesitated.
Then took it.
His grip was firm as he pulled her to her feet.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I want to show you something," he said. "A secret."
Her heart kicked once. Hard.
He closed his eyes.
The air shifted.
When he opened them again, they glowed—deep, luminous purple. Shadows curled at his feet, rising like smoke, wrapping around him in slow spirals.
Lira stepped back, breath catching.
Ronan smirked.
This time there was no mistaking it.
Fangs.
The shadows thickened, lifting him slowly off the ground. Leaves stirred. Wind spiraled outward.
He floated.
Just hovered there, calm. In control.
Her pulse raced—not fear.
Awe.
"How—?" she started.
He reached down and caught her waist effortlessly, lifting her as though she weighed nothing.
She gasped as the ground fell away beneath them.
"Ronan—!"
"A secret," he murmured.
And then they rose.
Higher.
The school shrank beneath them. The campus stretched wide and green, rooftops glowing under the sun. Wind rushed past her face, stealing her breath—and then laughter burst out of her before she could stop it.
She was flying.
Actually flying.
Her hands clutched his shoulders as they soared in smooth arcs across the sky. The world felt small. Free. Endless.
For a moment—there was no warning. No red-eyed boy. No secrets pressing in.
Just wind and light.
They circled once more before he slowly descended, shadows thinning as their feet touched the grass again.
Lira's cheeks were flushed. Her smile unstoppable.
"That was amazing."
Ronan's expression softened. "Yeah."
He stepped back, the glow in his eyes fading, the fangs disappearing as if they had never been there.
"Don't tell anyone," he said quietly.
She smiled, breathless, and nodded. "No one."
The world felt different now.
Bigger.
More dangerous.
"Let's get back to our buildings," he said.
Side by side, they walked toward the school.
Above them, the sky looked ordinary again.