The details don’t match. Nothing about him adds up.
My pulse ticks faster. Not panic. Not yet. But something older.
Something primal.
Could it be him?
I didn’t feel this way when I saw Eli. That was nerves. Uncertainty.
This is different. This buzzes low in my spine.
This feelswrong.
I keep walking. Calm. Head down. I pass the alley and angle just enough to catch the reflection in the diner window beside me. The glass is streaked with grease and sun-warped grime.
Just enough to catch a glimpse of—
Nothing.
He’s gone.
The street is empty.
What the hell…?
How is this possible?
Ihadhim.
My brain goes into overdrive.
My thoughts kick into overdrive. He must’ve clocked me the second I stepped out. Counted my pace. Timed every movement. Watched how long it would take me to walk past him without catching his face.
Then vanished.
That’s the only fucking way.
A jolt snaps down my spine. It's cold and tight, like wire pulled beneath skin.
This wasn't a coincidence.
I spin fast, scanning the street.
Nothing.
No coat slipping around a corner. No echo of footsteps in the alley. Just the ordinary blur of people. Faces buried in phones, chasing schedules, completely unaware a predator just brushed past them like wind.
“Fuck,” I mutter, barely audible.
It had to be him.
I force the panic down.
Inhale. Exhale.
Breathe cold. Breathe sharp.
Focus, Cassian.
