Chapter 4 Shadows Beneath the Surface

"You're moping again," Kain said around a mouthful of apple, tossing the half-eaten core into the trash. He was leaning against the fridge, arms crossed, shirtless, glistening from his early morning workout, and grinning like he'd just caught Elias doing something embarrassingly human.

Elias didn't look up from his textbook. His pen hovered mid-sentence. The assignment was barely halfway done, and his mind hadn't been on it since he'd opened the book.

"She's avoiding me," Elias muttered.

"Obviously." Kain grabbed another apple from the counter and leaned on the kitchen island. "You stared at her like she was the last glass of water in the Sahara. I'd be scared too."

Elias scowled and dropped his pen. "I didn't stare."

"Oh, you did." Kain smirked. "You've got that whole tragic-eyed, brooding boy thing going. You even leaned on your locker dramatically. It was like watching a vampire fall in love."

Elias shoved his textbook away and groaned into his hands. "She won't even talk to me, Kain."

Kain stepped forward, his teasing fading just slightly. "You've never had a crush before. I get it it's messing with your head. But girls like her? Complicated. You've got to give her space, but don't vanish. Stay steady. Be... I don't know, consistent."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "Says the guy who's had more flings than I've had birthdays."

Kain grinned. "And I learned from every one of them. Take notes, little brother. Be confident. Don't push her but don't act like a kicked puppy either."

Elias tried to laugh, but it was thin. He stood up, his voice lower now. "I don't want to just forget about her."

Kain's grin faltered. "Then don't."

Across town, in the quiet apartment Nyxa and Dareon shared under illusioned human identities, the air was tense.

"You're getting too close," Dareon said, arms crossed at her door, his jaw tight. "You're not here to fall for some wide-eyed human boy."

Nyxa sat on the edge of her bed, gaze fixed out the window, watching sunlight filter through cheap blinds. "I'm not falling."

"You're staring," he shot back. "You're slipping."

She exhaled slowly. "He's just... different. He's not scared of me."

"That's the problem," Dareon muttered. "He should be."

She turned toward him, brows pinched. "I didn't come here to be feared. I came here to change."

"To become human," he finished bitterly. "I remember. That's why we're going into the city."

Nyxa nodded slowly. "We need to begin the search. The healer could be there. The one who can... unmake what I am."

Dareon didn't answer immediately. When he did, his voice was low. "And when you're finally breakable like them, what then?"

She didn't reply. Because she didn't know.

By the time they got to school the next day, the air was unusually thick with whispers. Something felt different.

In homeroom, the teacher stood at the front with a clipboard. "We're reshuffling project partners for the upcoming history assessment," she said. "The list is on the board. No trades."

Murmurs broke out instantly. Elias's stomach tightened as he approached the board.

There it was:

Nyxa Virell - Elias Rowe.

His heart kicked.

He turned slowly, and caught Nyxa's eyes briefly. She turned away just as fast, her face unreadable, jaw tight.

Behind him, Mira froze. Elias didn't even need to look to know she'd seen it. The quiet sound of her pen snapping in her grip said enough.

Nyxa gathered her things in silence and moved to the back of the classroom where the project spaces were already set up.

Elias followed her without hesitation.

Other pairings filled in. Dareon was paired with a new student Nella. She was short, bright-eyed, and clearly delighted to be paired with someone like him. The moment their names were read together, her cheeks flushed pink. She twirled a lock of hair as they exchanged awkward introductions.

Meanwhile, Mira was paired with Leon, the class debate team captain. She gave him a strained smile, her eyes still flickering toward the back of the room where Elias now sat beside Nyxa.

"Let's just get this over with," Nyxa muttered as Elias took the seat beside her.

He studied her face her dark lashes casting shadows on her cheeks, her fingers clenched tightly around her pen. "Why are you avoiding me?"

Her jaw twitched. "Because I can."

"That's not an answer."

She turned toward him, slowly. "Because the way you look at me makes things difficult."

Elias blinked. "Difficult how?"

"Because I'm not supposed to care," she whispered, more to herself than him. "And you make it hard not to."

He leaned forward. "Then stop running."

Her eyes flicked to his'angry, conflicted. "You don't know what you're getting into."

"Then let me," he said, voice low. "Let me in."

Her breath caught. She looked away quickly, eyes shining with something between frustration and fear.

Then she hissed, "Stay away from me. I mean it, Elias. You don't want anything to do with someone like me."

"You don't get to decide that."

Her shoulders stiffened. "You'll regret it."

A slow, dark grin tugged at the corner of Elias's lips something unfamiliar to even himself. "Try me."

Nyxa's eyes widened slightly at the sudden shift in his tone. Something had cracked in him a quiet control giving way to something more primal. More possessive.

He didn't raise his voice. He didn't touch her.

But the way he looked at her sharp, bold, unflinching made her pulse race.

He wasn't the sweet, quiet boy anymore.

From the other side of the room, Mira watched the exchange, jaw clenched so tight it ached. She barely heard a word Leon said about their project.

Why her? She had watched Elias every day since their first year. The way he smiled at stray cats. The way he always offered his notes to struggling classmates. He was kind. Quiet. Hers at least in her daydreams.

And now this new girl, with shadows in her eyes and secrets in her silence, had taken all of that.

Mira didn't hate Nyxa. Not exactly.

But she would protect what she believed was hers.

Meanwhile, at the back of the classroom, Nella was giggling at something Dareon had said. The demon boy offered her a lazy smile, but his eyes were on Nyxa.

He saw the way Elias leaned in. The way Nyxa tensed.

He didn't like it.

Not one bit.

The bell rang before any real project work was done.

As they stood, Nyxa grabbed her bag, but Elias caught her wrist gently not hard enough to hurt, just enough to stop her. She froze.

"I'm not backing down," he said softly. "Even if you threaten me."

She looked at him like he was fire and she had been burned before.

And still, she let her wrist slide from his grip instead of yanking it free.

Without another word, she turned and walked out.

But Elias stood there a moment longer, watching her go, his jaw tight, his chest aching with something dangerous and new.

Possession.

Determination.

Obsession.

Whatever it was, it wasn't going away.

Not anymore.