And he was watching me with an expression I couldn't read—something between hunger and recognition, as if he'd found something he'd been looking for without knowing he was searching.
"The club can be overwhelming for first-timers," he said, his voice pitched low enough that only I could hear him.
I raised an eyebrow, fighting to maintain my composure. "What makes you think it's my first time?"
A smile curved his lips, not quite reaching his eyes. "You don't belong here."
The words should have been an insult, but the way he said them—like a simple statement of fact, an observation rather than a judgment—made them something else entirely.
"Neither do you," I replied, the certainty of it surprising me.
His smile widened slightly, a flash of genuine amusement in his dark eyes. "No, I don't. But for different reasons."
Before I could ask what he meant, the door to the club opened, spilling light and music and people into the courtyard. Lila emerged, scanning the area until she spotted me.
"Grace! There you are!" She weaved her way toward me, slightly unsteady on her heels. "I've been looking everywhere for you. We're moving to another club. Jason knows the owner of Elysium and can get us in without a wait."
I glanced back at the man, intending to make some excuse, only to find the space beside me empty. He had vanished as silently as he'd appeared, leaving nothing but the lingering sensation of his gaze on my skin.
"Who were you talking to?" Lila asked, following my gaze with a frown.
"No one," I said, standing up and smoothing my dress. "Just getting some air."
She gave me a look that said she didn't believe me but was too drunk to argue. "Well, are you coming or not?"
I hesitated, scanning the courtyard one last time. The man was nowhere to be seen, but I could still feel him—a presence in the shadows, watching, waiting.
"Actually, I think I'm going to head home," I said, suddenly exhausted. "I've got that paper to work on tomorrow."
Lila rolled her eyes but didn't push. "Your loss. Text me when you get home safe."
"I will. You have fun."
She rejoined her new friends, disappearing back into the club in a flash of red silk and laughter.
I called my own Uber, waiting at the curb with my arms wrapped around myself against the chill. The courtyard had emptied, most patrons returning to the warmth of the club, but I couldn't shake the feeling of being observed.
I turned slowly, scanning the shadows, the windows, the roofline of the old church.
Nothing.
And yet...
"Looking for someone?"
I whirled around, heart hammering, to find him standing a few feet away. How had he moved so silently? How had I not sensed him approach?
"My ride," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. "It should be here soon."
He nodded, making no move to come closer. "It's not safe for a woman to wait alone at this hour."
"I can take care of myself."
"I'm sure you can." There was something in his voice—not condescension, but a kind of amused certainty, as if he knewsomething about me that I didn't know myself. "But the world is full of predators, Grace."
My blood froze. I hadn't given him my name. Hadn't given him my real name.
"How do you?—"
