Jokull stood in the cold outside the station and let the words settle in his own chest before he spoke them out loud.
"He may be powerful," he said quietly, almost to himself. "But he is not bigger than me." He turned and looked at Tesni directly, something in his eyes shifting into a place she had not seen before. Colder. More certain. "If I have to become the devil I hate most in this world, then so be it. For Aine."
Tesni looked at him for a long moment and said nothing. There was nothing to say to that.
Across the city a phone rang and was answered on the second tone.
"Sir. We have everything under control. We sent them away."
Ravi stood at the window with his back straight and his expression unchanged. "Very good. I will be in town tomorrow. Meet me and I will sort out your payment."
"Yes sir."
"You can go."
He ended the call and set the phone down without looking at it.
The blindfold had shifted.After she woke up.
She did not move when she noticed it, did not draw attention to it. Through the narrow gap of fabric she could make out the room around her and the figure sitting with his back to her, his hair loosely tied behind him. She watched him for a moment in silence.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Ravi did not turn around. "Until your father brings what he owes me, nobody will find you here." He said it the way someone might read from a document. Factual. Settled.
"Sir—"
"Prepare yourself for tomorrow." He rose. "You need to rest."
Down the corridor Hayland poured a glass of wine and carried it through without spilling a drop. Ravi was already seated, his posture loose for the first time all evening.
"You look much more alive," Hayland observed, extending the glass.
"I have gotten what I wanted, Hayland." He took it without looking up.
Hayland studied him for a moment. "You did not do anything to her?"
"I did not want to rush." Ravi turned the glass slowly in his hand. "I gave her a starter. I want to see first if I can really stand her." A pause. "She is interesting."
Hayland said nothing for a moment. Then, "Good luck then."
The Next Day. Jade College.
The principal's office was quiet and unhurried, the kind of room that had absorbed decades of important conversations and learned to hold them without comment.
"Are you certain you want to do this?" The principal looked at Jokull across the desk with something between respect and genuine reluctance. "You are one of the finest school presidents we have ever had."
"I am returning to my country," Jokull said. "It is urgent."
"Will you be coming back?"
He considered the question for exactly one second. "I doubt it."
"When do you leave?"
"This evening."
The principal rose and extended his hand. Jokull took it. "Safe travels then, Jokull. And thank you. Truly."
"Thank you, sir." He gave a small nod. "I will take my leave."
The door to her room opened without a knock.
Aine sat up immediately, pulling the blanket to her chest in one swift motion, her eyes sharp and ready.
Hayland stood in the doorway holding a tray, an easy smile on his face that suggested he found her reaction mildly entertaining.
"Good morning, Aine."
"What is it?" Her voice came out flat and unwelcoming.
"Relax," he said, stepping inside and setting the tray down on the table beside her. "I do not have the right to touch you. I just brought your breakfast." He straightened. "He is not here for now."
She watched him carefully. "When will he be back?"
"Tonight." Hayland clasped his hands behind his back. "He has finally gotten whatever it was that kept eluding him. In you, specifically."
He moved closer, unhurried, and leaned down to murmur near her ear.
"He hates garlic."
Aine pulled back slightly and looked at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Hayland straightened with a small smile. "Nothing. You are just duller than I expected."
"You could do with some introspection yourself," she said without missing a beat.
Something in his expression shifted with what looked very close to genuine amusement. "A little snobby too. More than I expected." He tilted his head. "You are confused though, are you not? Ready for a storm you cannot yet name?"
"I know you are the enemy," Aine said evenly. "So there is no need for any storm."
Hayland was quiet for a moment. Then he laughed softly, something real in it. "It has been genuinely nice speaking with you. I was bored out of my mind before this." He moved back toward the door, pausing with his hand on the frame. "Eat your breakfast. And remember what I said."
He hates garlic.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Aine sat in the silence of the room and stared at the wall, turning the words over slowly.
"He hates garlic," she repeated under her breath. Then, quieter still, almost to herself. "Is he a vampire?"
She looked around at the bare walls, the locked door, the untouched breakfast on the table beside her.
"What kind of perilous situation have I landed myself in?"
"Make it quick," Mendoza said, his voice carrying the particular exhaustion of a man who had not slept and was not expecting good news.
"Sir." The voice on the other end was tight with apology. "We did everything we could to stop the fire at the USA branch. We could not contain it."
Mendoza closed his eyes for a moment. "The money."
"You put the rule in place yourself, sir. All funds go to the bank on Wednesdays. That is tomorrow. The money is also gone."
A beat of silence. "Was anyone hurt?"
"No sir. No casualties. I have already begun preparing the insurance papers."
"End the call."
He had barely set the phone down before it rang again.
"Mr. Mendoza." A different voice this time, shakier. "Our branch has been robbed. They took everything."
He said nothing for a long moment. Then he set the phone down again.