Nyx POV
"You're going to get yourself killed."
Mei blocks the door to our quarters, arms crossed, eyes blazing. It's midnight—my eighth midnight meeting with Kaelen in two months—and my roommate has finally had enough.
"Move," I say quietly.
"No." Mei's voice cracks. "Nyx, please. Everyone's talking about you and Kaelen Voss. Do you know what they're saying? That you're his pet project. His experiment. That he's using you for something and when he's done, you'll disappear like my sister did."
The words sting because I've heard the whispers too. Seen the stares when Kaelen acknowledges me in hallways. Felt the hatred from Celestine and her friends who think I've somehow seduced their precious Enforcer prince.
But they don't know him. Not like I do.
"Kaelen isn't like that," I say.
"How do you know? What do you really know about him except what he's told you?" Mei grabs my shoulders. "Wake up, Nyx. Enforcers don't fall for Fringe girls. They collect evidence and destroy us. Whatever you think is happening between you two—it's not real."
I pull away from her grip. "You're wrong."
"Am I? Then tell me—why does he only meet you in secret? Why hasn't he introduced you to anyone? Why does he disappear every time someone sees you together?" Her eyes fill with tears. "Because he's ashamed of you, Nyx. Or worse—because he doesn't want witnesses when he springs his trap."
My chest tightens. Those questions have haunted me too, late at night when I'm alone. But then I remember the way Kaelen looks at me when he thinks I'm not watching. The gentle way he touches my hand. The code samples he brings me that must have taken hours to prepare.
The way he told me, three nights ago, "You make me remember what it feels like to be human."
That wasn't fake. It couldn't be.
"I trust him," I say firmly.
"Then you're a fool." Mei steps aside, defeated. "Go. But when this destroys you—and it will—don't say I didn't warn you."
I slip past her without another word.
The guilt follows me through empty hallways, but it's not strong enough to turn me back.
Nothing is strong enough to keep me from Kaelen anymore.
He's waiting in the rooftop garden—our favorite meeting place because the surveillance cameras have blind spots here. I found them weeks ago. Kaelen helped me map them.
Tonight, he's brought me something wrapped in cloth.
"What's this?" I ask, breathless from running.
"Open it." His blue eyes catch the moonlight, and my stupid heart skips.
I unwrap the cloth carefully. Inside is a data crystal—rare, expensive, probably illegal. "Kaelen, what—"
"Medical protocols. Everything about your brother's condition. Surgical procedures, medication formulas, post-op care instructions." His voice is soft. "I pulled it from the restricted archives. It's everything you need to save him."
My eyes blur with tears. "This could get you arrested."
"I don't care." He steps closer. "You've been killing yourself trying to find this information. Now you have it. Take it to a black market doctor. They'll know what to do."
"Why?" The word breaks. "Why are you doing this for me?"
"Because I—" He stops, jaw clenching like he's fighting himself. "Because it's right. Because your brother deserves to live. Because you shouldn't have to watch him die while Celestials hoard the cure."
I throw my arms around him without thinking.
He freezes—just for a second—then his arms wrap around me carefully, like I'm made of glass. Like I'm precious.
"Thank you," I whisper against his chest. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
"Nyx." His voice sounds strangled. "You should hate me."
I pull back, confused. "Why would I hate you?"
"Because I'm a Celestial. An Enforcer. Everything you should despise." His hands frame my face, and there's something desperate in his expression. "Because I'm not good for you. Being with me will only bring you pain."
"I don't believe that."
"You should." But he doesn't let go. His thumb brushes my cheek, and the touch sends electricity through my whole body. "God help me, you should run from me. But I'm too selfish to let you go."
"Then don't." The words tumble out before I can stop them. "Don't let me go, Kaelen. I don't care what anyone says. I don't care that we're supposed to be enemies. When I'm with you, I feel—"
"Real?" he finishes. "Like the world makes sense for the first time?"
"Yes." Tears spill down my cheeks. "Exactly like that."
He leans closer, and I think he might kiss me. I want him to kiss me so badly it hurts. But at the last second, he pulls back.
"Not yet," he whispers. "Not until I—" He stops himself. "Soon. I promise. Just... trust me a little longer?"
"I trust you." I mean it completely.
The look on his face breaks my heart. Like I've just stabbed him instead of offering faith.
"You shouldn't," he says again. Then, before I can ask what he means, he presses something into my hand. A code key. "For the west wing server room. Meet me there Friday night. Midnight. I have something important to tell you."
"What kind of something?"
"Something that changes everything." His smile doesn't reach his eyes. "Will you come?"
"Always."
He kisses my forehead—gentle, achingly tender—and disappears into the shadows like he always does.
I'm left alone with the data crystal, the code key, and a feeling I can't name twisting in my gut.
Something felt wrong tonight. The desperation in Kaelen's voice. The way he looked at me like he was memorizing my face. Like he was saying goodbye.
I shake off the feeling. I'm being paranoid. Mei's warnings have gotten into my head.
Kaelen wouldn't hurt me. He just gave me the tools to save my brother's life. He told me I make him feel human. He's going to tell me something important on Friday.
Maybe he'll finally admit he has feelings for me. Maybe that's why he's been so careful, so secretive—he's afraid of what it means for an Enforcer to fall for a Fringe girl.
The thought makes me smile as I sneak back to my quarters.
Mei is asleep when I arrive. I hide the data crystal under my mattress and clutch the code key like a promise.
Friday. Midnight. Everything changes.
I fall asleep imagining Kaelen's arms around me, his voice whispering that he loves me, that we'll find a way to be together despite the impossible odds.
I don't know that while I'm dreaming sweet dreams...
Kaelen is in his quarters, hands shaking as he writes a message to his mother:
Subject fully compromised. Trust established. Ready for final phase. Will extract full confession Friday midnight. Recommend tribunal preparation for Saturday dawn.
He stares at the message for five full minutes before sending it.
Then he puts his head in his hands and does something he hasn't done since he was twelve years old, since his mother carved the emotions out of his brain:
He cries.
Because on Friday night, when I show up with my hopeful smile and my trusting heart...
He's going to betray me.
And there's nothing either of us can do to stop it.
The trap is set.
The countdown has begun.
And I'm walking straight into my own execution, believing it's a love confession.