I didn’t really sleep on my first night.
My body was still, but my mind wouldn’t shut up. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt Cassian’s presence.
His voice repeating: no questions. No noise. No weakness. Like a damn command etched into the walls.
He didn’t see me as a person. I was just something that landed in his space uninvited. Something he couldn’t figure out, which probably annoyed him more than anything.
But I didn’t care. I couldn’t afford to.
I had one job: survive Dominion long enough to graduate and vanish. No attention. No slipups. No unwanted attention. Keep my status hidden, keep my cover tight.
Still, I felt him watching me last night. I could feel it, even with my back turned.
And when I woke up, my bag wasn’t zipped the way I left it.
A chill slid down my spine.
