Who Is He
Cade
The urge to chase after them, to rip Avi away from him, is almost unbearable. Every nerve in my body is screaming at me to do something , but I force myself to stay put.
Because he’s dangerous.
I know it. I felt it. The way his hands locked around my throat, the way his eyes burned with something unhinged . If Avi hadn’t been there, if she hadn’t pleaded for my life, I’d be lying on the floor of my own office, gasping for breath— or worse.
Who the hell is he?
I need answers. Now.
I slam open my door and yell. “Cynthia, get in here.”
She steps inside hesitantly. “I heard a commotion. I wasn’t sure if you needed security or—”
“I’m fine.” The words come out clipped, impatient. “But I need the registration papers for every camper on site. Now.”
Cynthia blinks, caught off guard. “All of them?”
“All of them.”
“It might take an hour to pull those together, sir.”
“Then don’t waste time standing here.”
She nods quickly and hurries out.
If I have to sit here and call every single camper into my office, one by one, I will . If that’s what it takes to find out who this Nightshade character is.
I barely have time to gather my thoughts before there’s a knock at the door. My chest tightens with a sliver of hope.
Avi. Maybe she came back .
“It’s open,” I call out.
But when the door swings open, it’s not Avi standing there.
It’s Scarlet.
I exhale sharply, annoyance bubbling up before I can mask it. “Scarlet,” I say, already exhausted. “I don’t have a session with you today.”
She smirks, stepping inside like she owns the place. “You seem tense, Cade.”
I grit my teeth. “ Dr. Brenner, ” I correct, voice firm. “We’ve been over this.”
Her smirk widens. “Oh? Then why does Aviana get to call you Cade? Doesn’t seem fair, does it?” She tilts her head, taunting. “I don’t think you’re allowed to have favorites, Dr. Brenner. You know, policies and all.”
My patience is razor-thin .
“Yes, I do know the policies,” I snap. “I know that I don’t have a session with you right now, so why don’t you go to the class you are supposed to be in right now. And for the record, you will call me Dr. Brenner—because nothing is ever going to happen between us, Scarlet. That would definitely be against policies, and I’m not about to lose my damn job over it.”
She pouts, but there’s something calculated behind her eyes.
I don’t have time for this. Not now. Not when Avi is out there with him .
I lean back in my chair, barely suppressing my frustration. “Scarlet, why are you really here?”
She crosses her arms, her expression a mix of faux concern and curiosity. “I just saw Aviana leave with someone. They seemed in a rush to get out of here. Did she tell you where she was last night? I was worried about her.”
I study her for a moment. “Is that actually why you’re here, Scarlet? Because I can’t discuss anything about Aviana with you. Patient-therapist confidentiality—I can’t break her trust. Just like I wouldn’t break yours or any of my other patients’.”
She shrugs, feigning indifference, but there’s something calculating in her eyes. “Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn’t,” she says coyly. “But yes, I was concerned. She’s been skipping a lot of her classes, and she wasn’t in her room last night. And now she’s running off with some guy. Who was he?”
I grit my teeth. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” I mutter, more to myself than to her.
Scarlet perks up. “What was that?”
I shake my head, deciding to shift the conversation. “Scarlet, can I ask you something?”
She takes a step closer, her posture shifting ever so slightly—shoulders back, chin tilted, voice dripping with flirtation. “Of course you can, Dr. Brenner.”
I don’t react. “Have you seen Aviana with anyone recently?”
She tilts her head as if considering it. “Just Hazel, Dr. Carter, Dr. Flores, and a few other campers. No one is suspicious. No one that looks as dangerous as he looked.”
I nod, but my frustration grows. Scarlet is fishing for information, that much is clear. And worse—I still don’t have the answers I need. Something isn’t adding up, and I have a sinking feeling I’m running out of time to figure it out.
“Thank you, Scarlet,” I say, forcing a polite but firm tone. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have other patients to see.” I nod toward the door, making it clear this conversation is over. “And I’m sure Dr. Carter is patiently waiting for you in his office.”
She lingers for a moment, her lips pressing into a thin line like she wants to push further. But she knows better. With a small huff, she turns on her heel and heads for the door.
As soon as it shuts behind her, I exhale, running a hand through my hair. Something isn’t right. I don’t have all the pieces yet, but I will. And I have a feeling I won’t like what I find.
***
I cancel all my sessions for the remainder of the day, feigning illness, but the truth is, my mind is too tangled in knots to focus on anything else. Is Aviana hiding something more? Is she hiding his true identity? I can’t shake the unease clawing at me. Who the hell is this man she’s been with?
Nightshade.
That’s what she called him. That is what he told me to call him when he told me to leave her be. A name that sounds more like a ghost than a person. A shadow lurking just beyond my reach. Is he a camper? A staff member? Or worse—someone who doesn’t belong here at all? The way Aviana hesitated when I pressed her, the way she carefully chose her words—it wasn’t just secrecy. It was fear. The thought unsettles me.
As I make my way toward my cabin, my feet move on their own, redirecting me to the trails instead. If she’s out there, I need to find her. She loves her hikes, but something tells me she isn’t alone.
I veer off, taking the longer trail that winds deeper into the woods, toward the row of staff cabins that sit unused for the season. They’re not abandoned, but they might as well be—empty, quiet, tucked away from the main camp. The perfect place for someone to hide.
A strange feeling settles in my gut as I slow my pace, scanning the cabins ahead. If Aviana had been here—if he had been here—there might be something left behind. A sign. A clue.
Something to tell me who the hell Nightshade really is.
I step onto the worn path leading to the first cabin, my pulse picking up. If there are answers here, I intend to find them.
The first few cabins are empty, their doors locked, their insides undisturbed. Nothing. But I know I’m close—I can feel it. So I push forward, walking deeper down the trail toward the last two unused staff cabins.
As I approach the next one, something shifts in my chest—a deep, uneasy pull, like my body already knows what I’m about to find before my mind can catch up. My eyes land on the window, and that’s when I see him.
A figure dressed entirely in black.
Nightshade. It has to be .
My breath hitches, my hands curling into fists at my sides. Who the hell is this guy? His posture is relaxed, almost like he belongs here, like he isn’t lurking in the shadows but waiting . And then I see her.
Aviana.
She’s with him. Close. Too close. And before I can even react, he leans in.
His hand cups the back of her neck, his grip possessive, like he owns her. And then—he kisses her.
Hidden in the shadows outside the cabin, I watch, unseen, as the scene unfolds before me. My breath catches, my entire body locking up.
I expect her to push him away, to flinch, to do something—anything—to show this isn’t what she wants. But to my horror, she doesn’t.
She kisses him back.
It’s not hesitant. It’s not forced. It’s real.
Her hands clutch his hoodie, pulling him closer, like she needs him, like he’s the only thing keeping her upright. The way they hold onto each other—it’s raw, desperate, like two people clinging to the last thing they have left in this world.
My stomach twists, rage and confusion churning inside me like a storm.
Who the hell is he? Who is this man Aviana is willing to risk everything for?
And why does it feel like, in this moment, I’ve already lost?