The thrill of walking the edge.
The quiet satisfaction of knowing you’re three steps ahead, even when they think they’re leading.
Cassian Morelli thinks he’s studying me.
That I’m some puzzle he needs to solve.
But what he doesn’t know?
I placed myself on his board.
I step onto the balcony, letting the cool night air bite at my skin. The silk robe drapes over me, brushing against my bare legs as I look out at the city.
His city.
Everything he owns, he controls with an iron grip.
Everything—except me.
The sound of a lighter flicking open makes my breath still for half a second.
Then—the scent of smoke.
He’s here.
Watching.
I don’t turn immediately.
Instead, I exhale, letting him make his presence known first.
“You look comfortable.”
Cassian’s voice is smooth, but there’s an edge to it tonight.
He’s testing me.
Waiting for a slip.
I finally glance over my shoulder.
He leans against the balcony rail, cigarette dangling between two fingers, the glow briefly illuminating his face in the dark.
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If I were anyone else, I might find him intimidating.
But I’m not just anyone.
I offer a slow smile.
“Should I not be?”
His lips curve slightly, but his eyes remain cold.
Assessing.
“You should be wondering why you’re still here.”
He says it casually, like it’s an afterthought.
But I know what it really is.
A reminder.
A threat wrapped in silk.
I turn fully now, leaning back against the glass door. Letting the city frame me like a painting he can’t look away from.
“I was in an accident,” I murmur. “You saved me.”
He chuckles lowly, shaking his head.
“I don’t save people, Sienna.”
I meet his gaze.
“Then why am I still alive?”
The silence stretches between us.
A lesser man might have looked away. Might have shifted under the weight of not knowing.
Cassian doesn’t.
Instead, he takes another slow drag of his cigarette before finally pushing off the railing—closing the space between us too easily.
His scent—smoke, expensive bourbon, power—wraps around me as he stops just close enough to make my pulse tick faster.
Not out of fear.
Not out of attraction.
Out of control.
The need to hold it.
The need to wield it.
“You intrigue me,” he admits, voice lower now. “That’s dangerous.”
“For you or for me?”
His smirk is sharp.
“We’ll see.”
I tilt my chin slightly.
“What happens when you figure me out?”
Cassian studies me for a moment, then leans in—just enough to let his breath graze my cheek.
“Then you’ll either be by my side…”
His voice drops, dark and smooth.
“Or in the ground.”
My spine stiffens.
But my smile doesn’t waver.
“Good thing I don’t believe in simple endings.”
For a moment, neither of us move.
The night air hums around us.
The city breathes.
And then—Cassian exhales through his nose, like he knows this is just the beginning of something he didn’t plan for.
“Get some sleep, Sienna.”
He pulls back, flicking his cigarette into the night before walking away.
I watch his silhouette disappear through the doorway before finally turning back to the skyline.
Cassian thinks he’s watching me.
That I’m just a question waiting to be answered.
But what he doesn’t realize is…
He’s already playing my game.