Chapter 15
AMELIA
I’m finally done with my last class for the evening. And excuse my French, but it’s been a long fucking day, one of those days where the exhaustion settles deep in your bones. The chatter of students in the hallway fades behind me as I stretch my arms, letting the tension roll off my shoulders.
Frankie falls in step beside me—she must have been waiting outside for my class to end. “Survived another Thursday,” she says, nudging me with her elbow.
“Barely. If Mr. Adams had one more thing to say about seam allowances, I might’ve thrown myself out the window.”
She chuckles and glances over with a grin. “So, you coming to the mansion tonight?”
For a moment, I’m tempted. It would be so much easier to go with her, but the longer this fight with Skye drags on, the worse I feel. I shake my head. “Not tonight. I’m heading back to the dorm to try and make up with Skye.”
“How’s that going?”
I sigh, guilt twisting in my chest. I’ve never really navigated friendships beyond the surface-level high school ones. Back then, it was simple—buy someone a plate of chili fries at the mall, toss in a Sims 4 gift card, and suddenly all was forgiven. “It’s been awkward. We haven’t talked much since the argument.”
We push through the doors to the outside, and Frankie gives me a sympathetic half-smile, the kind that says I wish I could fix this for you.
“Skye’s dramatic, and yeah, I know that’s hypocritical coming from me… but she’s not going to kick you out of her life over one fight. You two will make up.”
“Hopefully.” I bite my lip.
“It’ll work out. I’m sure it will. Good luck, and call me if you need me!” Frankie pulls me into a quick hug before heading off in the opposite direction.
Sometimes I wish I had her confidence and optimism. How is she always so happy?
Once she’s gone, the quiet settles in, and I realize how dark it’s gotten. It’s usually not this dark when my last class lets out, but daylight savings kicks in this time of year.
I should’ve called for a student taxi. I’m starting to get freaked out. Me and the dark have never gotten along, thanks to all the horror movies I watch. That and my brain that comes up with a million and one scenarios that’ll probably never happen.
Then I see it—a shadow moving up ahead, darting behind a tree. I half-sigh, rolling my eyes. Does he seriously think he’s being stealthy or something? I can see him clear as day. Fine, I’ll let him think he’s a big, bad stalker for tonight.
I keep walking until I catch sight of the shadow again, and that’s when frustration bubbles up. Is it really necessary to follow me home like this? He couldn’t just, I don’t know, walk beside me like a normal human being? Annoyed, I pull out my phone and type a quick message.
Me: Nice try. Go home.
Almost immediately, my phone buzzes with a reply.
Blade: Go home? Who the hell did you mean to send that to?
I huff. Is he really playing this game right now? I’ve had back-to-back classes, and I’m tired.
Me: I’m walking home and you’re following me. I don’t need a shadow!
Blade: I’m talking to the dean about something important
My head snaps up, scanning the dimly lit path for any sign of movement. But there’s nothing, just eerie stillness. The confidence I felt moments ago starts to slip away, a cold wave of unease creeping in. I swear he better not be messing with me.
Me: I saw someone following me
Blade: Share your location and act natural
Despite the fear clawing at my insides, I do as he says. I force my feet to keep moving, even though my pulse pounds harder with each step. I spot the figure again, lurking behind a bush, but I don’t react. Instead, I keep my head down, trying to look unfazed.
A minute or two later, strong arms wrap around me from behind. I barely manage to let out a scream before a hand clamps down, muffling the sound. My heart slams against my ribs, and panic surges through me as I realize I have no idea how to fight back. This is the second time I’ve faced imminent danger—and froze.
“Shhh,” a deep, soothing voice rasps in my ear. “It’s me, angel.”
Relief floods through my system, so overwhelming that my knees nearly give out, and I release a shaky breath.
“Act natural for me, okay?” Blade murmurs, and I nod. “Good girl.” He leans down and kisses my forehead. I close my eyes for a second, letting the comfort of his touch chase away the anxious energy buzzing inside me.
We continue walking, my senses on high alert, when we both catch sight of the shadow. Blade surges forward like a predator, moving with lightning speed. I gasp and cup my hands over my mouth as he tackles the figure, starting to wail on whoever it is.
Punches fly, and the sickening thud of knuckles meeting flesh echoes in the dark. Ouch. It sounds painful. I catch fragments of Blade’s grunted words between punches. “Nerve to follow her… Scare her…”
“It’s me! It’s me!” the figure yells frantically. Blade pauses, confusion flickering in his eyes.
The figure’s form catches the street light and recognition hits me smack dab in the face. “Jacob?” I blurt out, knitting my brows.
Blade shoots me a glance, his eyes filled with an anger that could melt steel. In a blur, his fist connects with Jacob one last time before he steps back, breathing heavily. The air between them buzzes with enough friction to light a fire.
With a groan, Jacob staggers to his feet, and before he can get even halfway up, Blade walks over and wraps his arms around me so tightly I can’t move. It’s protective, possessive. Although I don’t know why he’s so on edge, it’s just Jacob.
Speaking of Jacob, he wipes the blood from his split lip and takes a few steps forward. The sight of the blood gives me a full-body cringe.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Blade’s voice is low but still cuts like broken glass.
Jacob doesn’t answer him. His eyes shift to me, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Hey, Amelia.”
“Don’t fucking call her name for as long as you live, or it’ll be the last name you ever call,” Blade grunts. That voice. God . Why does he always have to sound like *that* when he’s angry? It stirs something inside me, makes goosebumps pebble my skin.
But even so, I’m confused why he’s so angry. Is it because Jacob stalked me in the night? Jacob used to be my best friend for years—he may have gone about it the wrong way, but I know he’d never actually hurt me.
Seeing him now feels… weird. I haven’t seen him since I was sixteen. My very last memory is sitting on his bed, crying my eyes out while he packed for college. We never stayed in touch after that, not because of my lack of trying.
We spent most of our preteen years glued to each other since our moms were close. They were inseparable actually—there was once a time when you couldn’t find one without the other.
Jacob wipes his nose, still smirking. “What, I can’t come and catch up with an old friend?”
Blade’s voice vibrates on my back as it passes over top my head. “No, you can’t. You’re not welcome here after you left.”
Left? So they have history?
“Oh, I wasn’t talking about you, since you were never a real fucking friend, anyway.” Jacob’s eyes flick to me. “How about coffee tomorrow? I still remember your favorite order.”
“ Fuck no , she’s not getting coffee with you.”
“I think that’s up to her. What do you say? Come talk and we can catch up?” Jacob’s gaze settles on the corner of my mouth where I’m chewing my lip.
For a second, I almost say yes. There’s this urge to catch up, to see how he’s been, how his mom is doing. My lips part, but then I feel Blade’s hand at the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him. His voice drops low, laced with a dark, sadistic threat as he whispers in my ear. “Don’t fucking play with me, Amelia. I’ll take off my belt, use it on your ass, and you’ll be begging me to stop before the morning sun comes up.”
I draw in a sharp breath. The heat of his words race down my spine, making my skin prickle. His grip tightens, and for reasons I can’t explain, a strange flutter stirs deep in my belly.
There’s a little red devil on my shoulder telling me to accept the coffee to see what he’ll do, how far he’ll go. But I won’t listen to her for now.
I look up warily at Jacob and shake my head, apologizing with a smile. “Maybe next time.”
Before I can see his reaction, Blade steps in front of me, blocking my view of him entirely. “Or maybe not. Don’t come near my girl again. And she’s not going on a stupid coffee date with you, ever .” His scent, dark and woodsy, wraps around me, grounding me in a way that shouldn’t feel as comforting as it does. And some irrational part of my brain wants to breathe it in all the time.
God, what am I thinking? Over a scent?
Am I…
No, no, no.
Jacob sucks his teeth and chuckles, the only one finding amusement in the situation. “I see you got her on a tight leash,” he mocks before turning and strolling into the night. Just before he vanishes from view, he calls out over his shoulder, “See you guys around!”
Blade turns back to me, his expression hard. “Who is he to you?”
I exhale slowly, trying to come to terms with seeing Jacob for the first time in years. “He’s… he was my friend growing up. My mom and his mom were best friends. Who is he to you?”
Blade mutters under his breath. “At this point, you might as well say my fucking enemy.” I knit my brows in confusion, and he sighs. “Look, just stay away from him.”
I frown, stepping back slightly. “Just because I said no this time doesn’t mean I won’t want to eventually catch up.”
“He’s dangerous, Amelia. You need to be careful around him. And you definitely can’t be around him alone.” His eyes darken, almost growing wild. It’s the kind of look that both terrifies and thrills me.
“Dangerous?” I let out a harsh laugh. “That’s hypocritical coming from you, a criminal ! Should I be careful around you too? Someone I barely know, meanwhile he’s a friend that I’ve known for years.”
Blade’s jaw tightens, his breathing growing more shallow. But I don’t care. I’m not the one being irrational right now. “I could hurt anyone in this world except for you, remember? I can’t say the same for him, and we don’t know his intentions.”
“He wouldn’t hurt me. And why would I abandon my friend—”
He cuts me off, his voice like a crack of thunder. “He followed you! At night, creeping in the shadows. Does that sound like a fucking friend to you? He could’ve hurt..”
The force of his words slam into me, and I flinch before I can stop myself. I’m transported back to living with my dad. All the times he yelled, cornering me until I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Paralyzed by fear. I promised myself I wouldn’t go through that anymore, no matter what. No matter what.
My chest tightens, that familiar feeling clawing its way up my throat, and without thinking, I take a step back.
His voice crumples after seeing my reaction. “I didn’t… Amelia, please… I didn’t mean—”
But it’s too late. The flood of memories rush over me, drowning out his voice. My legs start moving before my mind can catch up, and I run. My pulse thunders as I push past him, barely registering his voice calling after me.
Tears blur my vision as I sprint down the dark path. Why am I crying? I don’t know. It just hurts , and I don’t know why. I feel so small. Like I can’t do anything right. Just like my dad made me feel.
I don’t stop running until I reach the dorm, the familiar sight of the building offering some comfort. Until I remember that Skye and I are technically still fighting. Frankie is gone to the mansion. So I have no one.
Why does everything always have to go wrong at once?