The warmth of the castle felt suffocating. Even as the torches flickered along the corridor, casting long shadows on the stone walls, Lilith Nightingale felt as though she were burning from the inside out.

She hadn't seen Elias all afternoon, yet the awareness of him still lingered, like a persistent whisper at the back of her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she was back in that broom cupboard, his scent wrapping around her, his voice taunting and teasing, the unbearable heat of his body pressed against hers. The way he had looked at her—like he knew something she didn't—haunted her more than she cared to admit.

And now, as she walked towards the Astronomy Tower, needing a moment of solitude, her mind was still tangled with thoughts of him. She needed to push him out, to remind herself that this was nothing.

But, of course, she wasn't alone for long.

"Running away, Nightingale?"

The familiar voice sent a shiver through her spine. Lilith turned on her heel, expecting Elias to be smirking in that insufferably cocky way he always did. And he was. But there was something else in his gaze tonight. Something unreadable.

She crossed her arms, masking her unease with sharp indifference. "What do you want, Thorne?"

He leaned against the stone railing, looking as effortlessly infuriating as ever. "I was wondering where you'd disappeared to. Figured I'd find you brooding somewhere."

Lilith exhaled through her nose, annoyed at how easily he got under her skin. "I don't brood."

Elias chuckled, tilting his head as he studied her. "You definitely brood."

She clenched her jaw. She wasn't going to do this. Not tonight. Not after spending hours trying to convince herself that what had happened between them had been nothing more than circumstance.

"I don't have time for this." She turned, preparing to leave, but Elias was faster. He caught her wrist before she could step away, his touch firm but not forceful. The contact sent an unexpected jolt through her, her pulse quickening despite her best efforts.

"Lilith."

She froze. He had never said her name like that before—never with that softness, never without amusement laced in his tone.

She should have pulled away. She should have snapped at him, insulted him, anything to create distance. But she didn't.

Instead, she looked up, meeting his gaze. His hazel eyes searched hers, filled with something she couldn't decipher.

For a moment, the world seemed to shrink around them, the sounds of the castle fading into nothing but the space between them.

"Tell me you haven't thought about it," Elias murmured.

Lilith swallowed hard, willing herself to look unaffected. "Thought about what?"

His smirk was gone now, replaced with something more serious. More dangerous. "That night. That moment."

Her heart pounded against her ribs. "It was nothing," she lied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Elias's fingers tightened ever so slightly around her wrist, not enough to hurt, but enough to make her realize he wasn't going to let her brush this off so easily.

"You're a terrible liar."

Lilith's breath caught in her throat. She was lying, but she couldn't let him know that. She couldn't let herself feel whatever this was.

She yanked her wrist free, forcing a glare. "I don't have time for your games, Thorne."

Elias tilted his head, his smirk returning—but this time, there was something different about it. Something knowing. "Who said it's a game?"

Lilith felt the breath catch in her throat, irritation and something far more dangerous warring inside her. She wanted to hate how easily he saw through her, how effortlessly he could unsettle her.

"You think you know me, Thorne," she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her.

"I don't think—I do know you," Elias replied, stepping closer, his voice lower, like a challenge. "And I think you hate that I do."

Lilith took a slow, deliberate step back, though her back hit the stone wall behind her. Her breath quickened. He was too close again, and she hated the way her body reacted before her mind could stop it.

"Move," she ordered, voice barely above a whisper.

Elias didn't budge. Instead, he leaned in just slightly, enough that she could see every detail of his expression in the dim light—the way his eyes darkened, the way his lips parted slightly, like he was considering saying something but decided against it.

Then, finally, he exhaled a quiet chuckle. "Not tonight, Nightingale," he murmured before stepping back.

The space between them felt too vast now, and Lilith despised the way she had to steady her breathing before she could move again.

She turned on her heel, storming down the corridor before she did something reckless—like stay.

But she knew, deep down, this wasn't over.

Not even close.

As Lilith hurried down the corridor, her footsteps echoing off the stone walls, she could still feel the weight of Elias's gaze on her back. The tension between them crackled like static, an invisible tether pulling taut even as she put distance between them. Her heart thundered in her chest, and despite her best efforts, her body still hummed with the remnants of their closeness.

She clenched her jaw, frustrated. Frustrated at him for always knowing exactly what to say to get under her skin. Frustrated at herself for letting him. For wanting him to push further, just to see how far she would bend before breaking.

The cold night air hit her as she reached the open corridors leading to the Astronomy Tower. She leaned against the railing, inhaling deeply, trying to cool the heat in her veins. Her hands trembled slightly, and she clenched them into fists, willing herself to get a grip.

This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to happen.

And yet, Elias Thorne was invading every part of her carefully constructed world, and she didn't know how to stop it.

A flicker of movement caught her eye below, and her breath hitched when she realized who it was. Elias was still standing where she had left him, hands in his pockets, his head tilted slightly as he watched her. Even from a distance, she could feel his gaze, burning through the night like an unspoken challenge.

Lilith turned away sharply, gripping the railing so hard her knuckles went white. She couldn't do this. Wouldn't do this.

But as she stood there, her heart hammering against her ribs, she knew with absolute certainty that this was far from over.

It was only just beginning.