Julian is exactly where I left him. Reading, alone, one leg thrown over the arm of his chair like he owns the place. The pile of files is deeper than before, but he’s barely touched them, most are for show. He likes to look busy while he waits for the world to turn in his favor.
He glances up as I come into the room, then sets his book aside, lacing his fingers behind his head. There’s a glint in his eye… feral, calculating, the kind of look that means I’m not as unreadable as I think.
“Back so soon?” he drawls. “You barely had time to leave fingerprints, Colton. I expected more… stamina.”
I ignore him, collect the folders I dropped, and begin sorting the stack, eyes fixed on the paper so I don’t have to see his face.
He waits, savoring the silence.
“Was she good?” Julian asks, tone so light it’s almost a whisper. “You look like a man who just finished a very fine meal.”
I clench my jaw, flipping pages with more force than necessary. “I didn’t touch her.”
“Hmmmm, I don’t believe you. You’re walking a thin line, Colt. If they watch the cams, you’re screwed.”
I pause, then resume at a steady, deliberate pace. “If the Board cared, they’d already have me in lockup.”
Julian snorts, a soundless exhale. “They don’t care about her. She’s nothing. That’s the point. Your fixation is going to cost your father a strong bloodline and the Board will excommunicate the Ellis’ lineage from the Academy. Is that what you want? We only get chosen runners or chosen wives. There is no choice here.”
I don’t answer, but my hands go still on the table.
Julian uncurls, standing before straightening his blazer. He moves close, stopping just behind my left shoulder. His voice is a low, conspiratorial murmur. “Let the wolves pick at her until there’s nothing left. You start interfering, you change the rules.”
I flip a page, eyes on the text but reading nothing.
He reaches around me, selects a file, then holds it up in the light as if the answer is encoded in the watermark. “Or is that the idea? Change the rules so the Board forces her into the Hunt.”
I let the silence work for me this time. The only sound is the tick of the old wall clock, and the slow, even breathing I force into my lungs.
He laughs, just under his breath, then tosses the file onto the table. “You’re not even denying it. How rare.”
“Believe what you want,” I snap.
Julian leans in, close enough that I feel the warmth of his breath. “I do. And what I believe is that you want her scared, Colton. You want her to look at you and see God.”
I don’t move, don’t react. But the words hook something in my chest, tight and bright.
“She looked at you like that, didn’t she?” he asks, almost gentle. “Like you could end her. Like she was grateful you didn’t.”
I want to say he’s wrong, but he isn’t.
Julian straightens, smoothing his sleeves, and returns to the armchair. “You always did have a taste for the ones you weren’t allowed to play with. It’s what makes you so… predictable.”
I ignore the jab, focus on the next folder in the stack. It’s a list of disciplinary actions from the last ten years—mostly minor, but a few with names that matter. I scan for patterns, looking for anything I can use.
Julian picks up his book again. “You know, if you really want her, you could just ask the Board for permission. I’m sure they’d enjoy watching. I sure as fuck would.”
“She’s not entertainment,” I say.
He looks up, eyes cold. “She is, Colton. That’s all she is. But if you want to play with her before she disappears, I won’t stop you. Just remember who you’re playing against.”
I look up, meet his gaze. “The Board, or you?”
He smiles. “Obviously you are like a brother to me, I won’t stand in your way, but I have my own role to play, just as you do and I’m not about to put a target on my head like Cai did.”
I nod, then go back to reading.
The silence stretches, broken only by the sound of pages turning and the slow, steady rhythm of my heart.
