SOPHIA

The drive back to campus was the longest forty minutes of my entire life. I sat in the back of the black Mercedes S-Class, pressed against the window, trying to look like a woman who didn't give a fuck about the world and assassins, rather than a woman whose pulse was currently drumming in her ears.

Every few seconds, I couldn’t help it—my eyes would dart towards the rearview mirror. And every single time, Cassian was already there. His gaze steady, cool, and completely unreadable reflecting the passing streetlights of the evening.

When our eyes locked for the third time, a jolt of electricity shot down my spine so...