Chapter 3 – The Silver Thread
1607 Words
The word still echoed in my head hours later.
Die.
I wanted to dismiss it, pretend it was nothing more than the crazy ramblings of a creep. But every time I blinked, I saw headlights, heard the blaring horn, felt the way my body had frozen like prey in the middle of the road. And then the pull of strong arms saving me at the last second.
If I hadn’t met him… I would be dead.
I pressed my hands against my desk, trying to focus on the professor’s lecture. My notes were a mess of random scribbles, some of them just looping lines. At one point I realized I’d written the word silver three times in the margin. I quickly crossed it out, as if that could erase him from my mind.
“Wow,” a voice hissed next to me. “That looks like the handwriting of someone who’s either in love or possessed by demons.”
I turned my head. Mia smirked, tapping her pen against my notebook.
“I’m going with possessed,” I muttered.
Her grin widened. “Oh good, because if it’s the first one, I’ll have to stage an intervention. If it’s demons, we’ll just call a priest.”
I rolled my eyes, but a laugh slipped out. God, I needed that laugh.
Class ended. Mia looped her arm through mine as we walked out. “So. Spill. You’ve been acting weird since yesterday. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“Right. And I’m secretly a billionaire’s long-lost daughter. Come on, Elena, tell me. Is this about a guy?”
I froze for half a second, which was apparently all she needed.
Her eyes lit up. “It IS a guy. Who is he? Do I know him? Is he hot? Wait—don’t answer, I’ll just assume yes.”
“Mia,” I groaned, “you sound like you’re narrating a soap opera.”
She gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. “Excuse me, soap operas raised me. Respect the culture.”
Despite everything, I laughed again. The knot in my chest loosened a little, until she said: “So who is he?”
I shook my head. “No one. Forget it.”
But Mia was relentless. “Fine. Don’t tell me. But you’re coming out tonight. Jason’s party. I’ll get answers out of you there. Alcohol makes you chatty.”
“I’m not chatty, drunk or sober,” I muttered.
She patted my arm. “Challenge accepted.”
That night, I stood in front of my mirror, tugging on the hem of my dress. It was tighter than I was used to, black and simple, but Mia insisted it would “wake up my dormant s*x appeal.”
“You look amazing,” she declared when I walked out. “If you don’t find a guy tonight, I’ll auction you off on eBay. Highest bidder gets your notes from class too.”
“Mia!” I smacked her arm, laughing despite myself.
The house party was packed, music vibrating the floorboards, colored lights flashing across sweaty faces. People danced in the living room, cups in hand, laughter spilling over the music.
For the first time in days, I felt almost normal. I grabbed a soda and claimed a corner of the couch. Mia vanished into the crowd within two minutes, leaving me to people-watch.
And then, just as I started to think maybe this was exactly what I needed, the hairs on the back of my neck rose.
I glanced up.
And there he was.
Adrian.
Leaning against the far wall, out of place in a sharp suit, as if he’d stepped out of another world and into this chaos. His silver eyes found me instantly, cutting through the flashing lights and the bodies between us.
My stomach dropped.
I bolted upright, weaving through the crowd.
“Elena!” Mia’s voice called after me, but I ignored it.
I shoved through the hallway, heart hammering, and stopped dead.
Because he was already there. Waiting.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I hissed.
“Neither should you,” he said calmly.
I clenched my fists, heat rushing through me. “Stop following me!”
His gaze was steady, unblinking, infuriating. “I told you. I can’t.”
The noise of the party pulsed behind me, but in that narrow hallway, there was only him, me, and the undeniable truth I hated to admit.
My heart wasn’t racing just because of fear.
The hallway felt too narrow, too quiet compared to the chaos behind us. Music thumped through the walls, laughter spilled down the corridor, but in that moment, none of it mattered. All I could see were his silver eyes. All I could feel was the weight of his presence pressing down on me.
“Why do you keep doing this?” I demanded, my voice sharp even though it trembled. “Why follow me everywhere? What do you want from me?”
Adrian didn’t flinch. “I already told you. To keep you alive.”
The words should have reassured me. They didn’t. They only coiled tighter around my chest.
I laughed, brittle and shaky. “You sound like a bad line from a superhero movie.”
His lips twitched, almost a smile but not quite. “And yet, you’re still here. Listening.”
I hated that he was right. I could have walked away, back into the party, back to Mia. But instead, I stayed rooted to the spot, staring at him like a moth hypnotized by fire.
“You don’t know me,” I whispered.
He took a step closer, and the air thickened. “I know enough. I know the choices you’ll make before you make them. I know the paths that could destroy you. And I know one thing with absolute certainty.”
My throat tightened. “What’s that?”
His gaze locked with mine, unrelenting. “That you belong to me.”
My heart lurched painfully. Heat flooded my cheeks, though whether from anger or something more dangerous, I couldn’t tell.
“Arrogant much?” I snapped, my voice sharp. “Do you practice that line in front of the mirror, or does it just come naturally?”
For a moment, silence stretched. Then, to my shock, the corner of his mouth curved upward. Not cold, not mocking—just the faintest trace of real amusement.
“You’re not afraid to bite,” he murmured.
I blinked, thrown off balance. He wasn’t supposed to laugh. He was supposed to brood and terrify me, not… react like a normal man.
My pulse stuttered. I shook my head, desperate to claw back control. “Stay away from me. I mean it.”
Before he could answer, Mia’s voice rang out behind me. “Elena! There you are!”
I spun, relief flooding me as Mia barreled down the hallway, cup in hand, her smile bright and oblivious. She stopped short when she saw Adrian. Her brows shot up, eyes darting between us.
“Ohhh,” she said slowly, grinning. “I see what’s going on here.”
I nearly choked. “No! You don’t see anything!”
Mia smirked, tilting her head. “Tall, dark, devastatingly handsome guy corners you at a party? Please, Elena, at least let me live through you.”
“Mia!” My voice cracked, heat rising to my face.
Adrian, of course, looked entirely unbothered. If anything, there was a faint satisfaction in his gaze, like her comment had confirmed something for him.
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “This is not what it looks like.”
“Sure,” Mia teased. “And I don’t drink tequila straight from the bottle. Look, I’m just saying, if you don’t want him, I’ll—”
“No!” The word burst out louder than I intended. Both of them stared at me. I winced, scrambling to recover. “I mean… no, you don’t want him. Trust me.”
Adrian’s gaze lingered, unreadable silver glinting in the dim light. Mia, thankfully, just shrugged. “Fine. He’s all yours.” She winked and disappeared back into the party, leaving me ready to melt into the floor.
Silence settled again.
I forced myself to meet Adrian’s eyes. “See what you’re doing to me? You’re ruining my life. Even my best friend thinks you’re… whatever this is.”
“And what do you think this is?” His voice was quiet, but the question struck like a challenge.
I opened my mouth, closed it, then opened it again. Nothing came out. Because I didn’t know. Because the truth was tangled up in fear and anger and something that felt dangerously like attraction.
I finally shook my head. “I think you’re trouble.”
His lips curved faintly. “You’re not wrong.”
Before I could answer, a crash echoed from the other room, followed by shouting. Someone had knocked over a table, drinks spilling across the floor. The noise snapped me back to reality, reminding me of where we were.
I stepped back quickly, needing the distance, needing air. “I’m leaving.”
He didn’t try to stop me. He just stood there, watching, silver eyes tracking me until I disappeared into the crowd.
But even as I pushed through the party, heart racing, I knew the truth.
No matter how far I ran, no matter how many times I told myself I wanted nothing to do with him…
A part of me was already tangled in the silver thread he had woven around me.
- Writer
