The café was Elena's safe ground.
Or at least, it used to be.
Here, under the warm buzz of lights and the hiss of steaming milk, she could pretend her world was ordinary. She poured lattes, smiled at regulars, scribbled names on cups. For a few hours, the shadows couldn't touch her.
Until they did.
The bell above the door chimed, and everything inside her stilled.
Adrian Blackthorn walked in as if the place belonged to him. No entourage this time, no shadows in suits. Just him—towering, immaculately dressed, every inch radiating danger that didn't belong in a cozy coffee shop.
Conversations faltered. Heads turned. Even people who didn't know his name instinctively felt the shift in the air. Predators didn't need introductions.
Elena's blood iced.
She gripped the counter hard enough her knuckles whitened. He wasn't supposed to invade this space. He wasn't supposed to stand in line like an ordinary customer.
But there he was, gray eyes locked on her, a faint curve at his lips as though amused by her panic.
When he reached the counter, the world seemed to fall silent.
"What can I get you, sir?" Her voice was steady only because she forced it to be.
Adrian leaned in, close enough that the warmth of his breath brushed her ear. "I'll have whatever keeps you here a little longer."
Heat crawled up her neck. She clenched her jaw. "We serve coffee, not games."
His smirk widened. "Then coffee, little dove. Black."
Of course. Black.
She scribbled his name on the cup with shaking fingers, deliberately sloppy, just to spite him. But he caught the defiance in her movements, and his gaze lingered on her hand like he was memorizing the shape of her letters.
When she slid the cup across the counter, his fingers brushed hers. A spark shot up her arm—sharp, unwanted, undeniable.
"Thank you," he said softly, as though it were a vow instead of a courtesy.
Elena jerked her hand back and turned to the machine, cursing under her breath. She could feel his eyes on her the entire time she worked. The café felt too small, too quiet, every customer a witness to a scene none of them understood.
When she set his cup down, Adrian didn't pick it up immediately. Instead, he tilted his head, studying her like she was both prey and puzzle.
"You look lovely in the daylight," he murmured.
Her chest tightened. "Stop."
"Stop what?" His tone was innocent, but his eyes glinted with wicked amusement. "Acknowledging what you are? You burn, Elena. Even here, where you think you're safe."
Her voice cracked. "You don't belong here."
His smile was slow, dangerous. "I belong wherever you are."
The words wrapped around her like chains, invisible but unbreakable.
Before she could respond, a co-worker popped up beside her, cheerful and oblivious. "Next customer!"
Adrian finally picked up his coffee, his gaze never leaving hers.
"See you tonight," he said under his breath.
Then he turned and walked out, the bell chiming again like a cruel reminder.
Elena stood frozen, her breath shallow, the weight of his promise settling into her bones.
He had crossed into her daylight now.
And there was no escaping him.