Liam finally pulled back, breaking the kiss. His lips hovered just inches from hers, their breaths still mingling in the cool night air. He didn’t move away imdiately. His eyes scanned her face like he hadn’t seen her in years—every curve, every detail. Her damp hair clung to her cheeks, her lashes stuck together with sweat, her lips flushed from the heat of the kiss. He let himself morize her, as though this mont might vanish if he blinked.
Lana’s lips curved into a soft smile, shy but full of warmth. "Why are you here?" she asked, her voice low, almost a whisper.
Liam steadied himself. "I need all the help I can get back ho. Sothing’s coming. In three days... I don’t know what, but I’ll need you."
Her smile faded slightly, replaced by seriousness. She lowered her eyes for a second, thinking, then nodded slowly. "Okay. But we can’t leave right now."
That earned her a faint smile from him. He leaned closer, brushing his thumb lightly against her wrist. "Of course. I’ll stay the night here."
Her grin returned, brighter this ti. She tugged at his hand, her energy bouncing back despite her exhaustion. "Then let introduce you to my aunt properly."
Before he could say anything else, she dragged him toward the direction of the house, her grip tight around his fingers. The fires she had lit earlier died down behind them, smoldering into faint embers. The forest went quiet again, as though nothing had happened there.
———
About thirty minutes later, steam filled the bathroom as Lana sank into the bathtub. Her head rested against the porcelain edge, her hair fanning out behind her in the water. Her body floated in the heat, every muscle easing after hours of pushing her limits. She let out a soft sigh as the warmth soaked into her skin, washing away the dirt and sweat. For the first ti that night, she let herself relax.
Across the house, Liam had no such luxury.
He sat stiffly at the dining table, a plate in front of him, and directly opposite sat Lana’s aunt. The silence between them was thick. The only sounds ca from the faint clink of cutlery and the occasional creak of the old wooden house settling into the night.
Liam glanced up briefly, his sharp eyes scanning her. She had a calm expression, almost unreadable. Her movents were smooth, asured, like soone completely in control of themselves. What stood out most, though, were her bare feet. No slippers, no sandals—just skin against the floorboards.
It clicked. That was why he hadn’t noticed her in the woods earlier. No sound, no pressure heavy enough for him to sense. She moved differently, unnaturally quiet.
He looked back down at his food, chewing in silence. But he could feel her eyes on him.
Finally, she spoke. Her voice broke the stillness like a knife. "So you’re Liam."
He blinked, caught slightly off guard. Still, he recovered quickly, replying while cutting into his al. "Yes."
Her tone remained flat, almost too even, as she continued. "She always talks about you non-stop. I was surprised. She’s really in love with you."
Liam froze for a fraction of a second, fork halfway to his mouth. He didn’t answer right away. The words hung between them, heavy. He wasn’t sure if this was ant as approval, a warning, or sothing else entirely. He chewed slowly, buying ti, but his silence only seed to amuse her.
She cut into her steak with a slow, deliberate motion, then lifted the piece and ate it carefreely, as though they were discussing the weather. After swallowing, she added, almost casually, "But you see... I don’t trust you."
Liam’s brows furrowed, his hand pausing on the knife. He lifted his gaze, eting her calm eyes. "Pardon?"
Her lips curved slightly, but there was no warmth in it. She placed her fork down neatly, leaned back in her chair, and repeated, clearer this ti. "I don’t trust you."
Liam didn’t flinch at her words. He didn’t even look up. He calmly pushed another piece of steak onto his fork and ate it. The quiet chew, the deliberate swallow—it made her raise her brows slightly, as though she hadn’t expected him to react that way.
Instead of defending himself, he dabbed at the corner of his mouth with the napkin, then asked casually, "What’s your na?"
Her lips curved into a small smirk. "You can call Riri."
He nodded, lifting another piece of steak. He spoke around it, his tone still calm. "Okay, Riri. Why don’t you trust ?"
The air between them shifted. Riri set her fork down with a soft clink and leaned back against the chair, crossing one leg over the other. Her expression didn’t change, but her eyes sharpened. "Lana told all about your amazing powers," she said, almost like she was reciting a story she’d already gone over in her head. "And I find it really weird that a boy your age would have so many powers. At first, I thought—ah, maybe you’re one of those serum users from the past. But the more she talked about you, the more I realized you’re different."
She tilted her head slightly, her voice lowering as if she was saying sothing forbidden. "Special."
Liam leaned back too, still chewing. He didn’t break eye contact.
Riri’s smile thinned. "It took a while, but eventually I figured it out. You work for soone, don’t you?"
That earned a real reaction. Liam’s lips curved into a smile. He slowly lowered his fork and knife onto the plate, the faint scrape of tal against porcelain filling the silence. He folded his arms and looked at her directly. "So that’s why you don’t trust , huh?"
She shrugged her shoulders, completely at ease. "It’s a valid reason if you look at it yourself."
Liam let out a low breath, more amused than annoyed. He leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. His voice ca out honest, steady. "I don’t work for anyone. I only work with my friends—and that’s all. I didn’t even ask to be in any of this. Yet sohow, I’m involved in everything."
For the first ti, Riri’s smirk faltered. Just a flicker, but enough for him to notice. She didn’t understand what he ant, not fully, but she didn’t bother asking for clarity either. She straightened in her chair, brushed invisible dust off her lap, and said flatly, "I’m watching you. If you are what I think you are, then the next thing I’ll be eating at this table won’t be steak—it’ll be your head."
Liam’s expression didn’t change. No anger. No fear. He leaned back in his chair, stretching slightly, as though she had just told him the weather would turn tomorrow. The truth was, her words didn’t even register as a threat. They landed more like curiosity poking at him from the edges.
He studied her. He could sense no power in her at all. Not a spark, not a ripple. She was ordinary. Completely human. That much he was sure of. And yet—she spoke like this, without hesitation, without trembling. She didn’t lower her gaze, didn’t flinch under the weight of his.
That was what unsettled him.
Anyone else would have been terrified after learning what he could do. Most would at least tread carefully, maybe even beg to be on his good side. But Riri? She wasn’t scared. She threatened him anyway.
This woman had to be the strangest person he’d t so far.
He let a small chuckle escape, more to himself than to her. He reached for his glass of water, took a slow sip, and set it back down. "You’re a strange one, Riri."
Her smirk returned, sharper this ti. "And you’re exactly the kind of boy I don’t trust."
The silence that followed wasn’t comfortable, but it wasn’t hostile either. Just two people, sitting across a table, both refusing to blink first.
For Liam, it wasn’t about intimidation. It was curiosity now. What kind of woman could sit in front of him, knowing what he was, and speak to him like this? Either she was insane... or she knew sothing he didn’t.
Either way, she had his attention.
And that, more than her threats, was what made her dangerous.
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