Chapter 1: the beginning
Liam Ellis stared at his untouched lunch, pretending the voices around him were background noise.
“...so she actually believed me when I said I was a third-generation heir,” Simon said, laughing. “You should have seen her face when she found out.”
Liam forced a small smile.
It was his first day at university, and already he was exhausted.
He needed those days away more than he wanted to admit to himself quietly.
His ribs still ached from the beating before he left that morning.
He shifted carefully.
“Liam.”
He looked up.
Simon stared at him. “Are you even listening?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Really? Then tell us what you think about the Valen brothers.”
Six pairs of eyes turned toward him.
Liam blinked. “The who?”
“The Valen brothers. You seriously haven't heard of them?”
Liam shook his head.
“They're practically campus legends,” another student said. “Especially Cassian Valen.”
The name meant nothing to Liam.
Apparently, that disappointed everyone.
They returned to their gossip, leaving Liam to his silence.
He didn't care.
He had bigger problems than campus rumors.
Some days, he wasn't even sure he'd make it to graduation.
He pushed his tray away and tried to stand.
Pain shot through his ribs.
A quiet whimper escaped before he could stop it.
Liam froze.
He glanced around.
Nobody had noticed.
Thank God.
He pulled his hood farther over his face and made his way out of the cafeteria.
He needed painkillers before the soreness became unbearable.
As he passed beneath the main building, something caught his attention.
A figure stood on the rooftop.
Still.
Watching.
Liam stopped.
When he looked again, the figure was gone.
Maybe he'd imagined it.
He pulled his hood lower and continued walking.
He didn't know it yet, but someone had noticed him.
And Cassian Valen had no intention of looking away.
