Kaylee's POV
I had learned one thing about this university—it was never quiet. Even when the classrooms emptied, even when the laughter of students faded, there was always something buzzing in the air. A rumor. A stare. A whisper of the Knights.
Tonight, though, the campus was too quiet. The silence clung to me like smoke as I crossed the courtyard, my bag slung over one shoulder. I wanted nothing more than a long shower and my bed.
But then I felt it.
The hairs at the back of my neck prickled. That heavy, suffocating weight of being watched. I slowed, my heels clicking softly against the pavement.
"Lost, princess?"
The voice made me freeze. Deep. Smooth. Controlled.
I turned—and almost stumbled. One of them.
Broad shoulders. Sharp jaw. The kind of presence that swallowed the night whole. He was dangerous—every line of him screamed it—but dangerously beautiful too, almost painfully so. The kind of beauty that made my chest tighten, that made me forget to breathe. Even the faint curve of his lips, that arrogant smirk, carried something almost boyishly cute—until I saw his eyes.
Those eyes weren't cute. They were sharp. Calm. Like they'd already cut me open and found something worth keeping.
My throat tightened, but I refused to show fear. "I'm not lost."
He stepped closer, slow, deliberate. "Then you're… brave." His voice pressed against my chest like a weight. "Or stupid. Walking alone at night. In our territory."
"Your territory?" I shot back, tilting my chin up. "You don't own the campus."
The faintest curve of his mouth—barely a smile. "Maybe not the buildings. But fear? Attention?" His gaze locked on mine, unblinking. "We own it."
My heart hammered, but I didn't flinch. "Then maybe you should learn—I'm not like everyone else."
Something flickered in his expression, breaking through that calm mask. Not amusement. Not mockery. Something darker. Curious. Hungry.
He leaned in, close enough that I felt the heat of his breath against my ear. His words were soft, but they carved straight into me:
"I know. That's why you're dangerous, Kaylee."
My pulse spiked. How did he know my name? I hadn't told him.
Before I could speak, footsteps echoed behind him. I blinked—and he was gone. Vanished, as though the night itself had swallowed him whole.
Only the faint smell of smoke lingered.
I stood frozen, my chest heaving, the echo of his voice carved into my mind.
That's why you're dangerous.
Interlude – The Knights' Dorm
The Knights' dorm wasn't just a room—it was their throne room. Four beds, four lives, one empire. Dark walls, leather couches, the faint scent of smoke and steel. To outsiders it was chaos; to them, it was order.
They didn't need words to understand each other. A glance, a twitch of a hand, the flicker of a smirk—that was enough. They had been forged together, not just by blood, but by war, scars, and a loyalty so absolute it blurred where one ended and the other began.
Tonight, though, something unsettled even them.
Kayden stood at the window, cigarette burning low between his fingers, his reflection cold in the glass. He was the quiet shadow of the group, the one no one dared provoke. His silence carried weight, heavier than the shadows clinging to the room. Finally, his voice cut through, sharp as a blade:
"She didn't flinch. Every other girl lowers her eyes, but not her. She looked at me like she wasn't afraid to bleed."
The others didn't interrupt. They listened, the bond between them taut as wire.
Kaden sprawled across the couch, boots on the table, flicking his lighter open and shut with a lazy grin. "She's fire. Fun fire. But even fire burns out. How long before she does?"
Kadeem snorted, tossing a knife into the air and catching it by the blade without looking. His laugh was sharp, dangerous. "Fuck burning out. I'd rather break her. Piece by piece. I bet she'd scream like music."
Kadin sat apart, arms folded, his eyes calculating. He didn't waste words. "You're idiots if you think she's just another plaything. That girl isn't ordinary. She's hiding something."
The smirk tugged at Kaden's mouth before he even looked up. "Nah. The real question is you, Kayden. You don't talk to strangers, yet suddenly you've got words for her. Why?"
The challenge lit across the bond like electricity, each brother feeding on it, completing the other's thought before it was even spoken.
Kadeem leaned forward, knife glinting. "Our quiet shadow breaking his silence for a girl? Now that's interesting."
Even Kadin's lips twitched, the closest he ever came to humor. "Careful, Kayden. Wouldn't want you catching feelings."
For a long moment, Kayden didn't move. Didn't blink. Smoke curled around him, the ember glowing red. Then his words fell, calm and final—like judgment:
"She's not like the others."
And just like that, they all went silent. Not because they doubted him. Never that. Their bond was too strong. If Kayden saw something, they all saw it. If Kayden decided she was different, then she was.
The weight of that truth pressed into the room, heavier than threats, heavier than laughter.
None of them knew the whole story yet—
That Kaylee McPherson was already a shadow in their world. Blink. The storm with a crown of blood.
But together, they knew one thing:
She wasn't just another girl.
She was already theirs.