Lyra didn't realize she was shaking until Aurelian placed both hands on her shoulders.
"Breathe," he said quietly.
She tried.
Air went in. It didn't feel like it reached anywhere useful.
Her phone was still in his hand, the last message glowing between them like a threat that didn't need to shout.
I want you to understand what it feels like to be watched.
"Who is he?" she asked.
Aurelian's jaw was tight. "His name is Elias Venn."
The name meant nothing to her.
But the way Aurelian said it made it heavy.
"He worked for you."
"Yes."
"Doing what exactly?"
"Learning how to dismantle people without touching them."
Lyra swallowed. "That's a job?"
"In my world, yes."
She pulled away slightly. "What did you do to him?"
Aurelian didn't answer immediately.
And that silence told her more than words.
---
Years ago, Elias had been brilliant. Quiet. Observant. The kind of man who noticed patterns others missed.
He predicted market collapses before they happened. Anticipated sabotage before it was attempted. Understood human weakness like it was mathematics.
"He was too good," Aurelian said. "And he started enjoying it."
Lyra frowned. "Enjoying what?"
"Watching people fall apart."
A chill moved through her.
"So you fired him."
"No. I sidelined him."
She blinked. "That sounds worse."
"It was," Aurelian admitted.
"He resigned two weeks later. No confrontation. No argument. Just… left."
"And you didn't think he'd come back?"
"I didn't think he'd care enough to."
Lyra looked toward the window again. "You were wrong."
"Yes."
---
Her phone buzzed once more.
A text.
He's explaining me to you now, isn't he?
Lyra felt sick.
Aurelian typed again.
Stop contacting her. This is between us.
The reply came slower this time.
That's the problem, Aurelian. You still think this is about you.
Lyra's chest tightened.
She understood then.
Elias didn't want money.
He didn't want Helios.
He wanted something far more delicate.
Reaction.
Emotion.
Disruption.
---
Aurelian's security team called.
"We've got visual confirmation," the voice said through the speaker. "Man matching Venn's profile spotted across the street. He's not hiding."
"Don't approach," Aurelian ordered.
Lyra stared at him. "Why not?"
"Because this is what he wants."
"What does he want?"
"To see what we do next."
She hated how calmly he said that.
---
Minutes later, a car drove slowly past the building.
Not stopping.
Just passing.
Lyra felt exposed in a way cameras and headlines had never made her feel.
This was different.
Personal.
Intentional.
"He's treating us like a case study," she whispered.
Aurelian nodded once. "Yes."
Her voice trembled. "I don't want to be studied."
He looked at her then, something protective hardening in his expression.
"You won't be."
But even he didn't sound certain.
---
That night, Lyra couldn't bring herself to sleep alone.
She didn't say it.
She didn't have to.
Aurelian stayed.
Not close. Not touching. Just present on the other side of the room, sitting in a chair by the window like a silent guard.
She watched him through half-closed eyes.
He didn't move for hours.
Didn't check his phone.
Didn't blink much.
He looked like a man waiting for something invisible to reveal itself.
"Do you ever get tired of this?" she asked softly in the dark.
"Yes," he replied.
"Then why stay in it?"
A pause.
"Because leaving doesn't stop it."
Lyra turned onto her side, facing him.
"I didn't ask for this life."
"I know."
"Do you regret meeting me?"
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Aurelian didn't hesitate.
"No."
She studied his face in the dim light.
"You should," she whispered.
He shook his head once. "No."
---
Her phone lit up again at 2:13 a.m.
A single message.
You look safer when he's awake.
Lyra's breath hitched.
Aurelian's eyes snapped to the phone instantly.
He hadn't been asleep.
He read the message and something in his expression changed.
Not anger.
Recognition.
"He can see inside," Lyra whispered.
Aurelian stood slowly.
"No," he said quietly. "He can predict."
And somehow—
That was worse.