I didn't leave. Just pulled out the chair and sat down, watching him with the same intensity I'd been using on the monitors.
Julian stared back at me. "Are you going to watch me eat?"
"I'm going to watch you period. That's my job until we're sure you're not a threat."
"That's creepy."
"That's security."
We looked at each other for a long moment. Then Julian's stomach betrayed him with an audible growl. His mouth twitched—almost a smile.
He got up and moved to the table. Sat down across from me. Picked up the burger and took a bite.
Then he devoured it like he hadn't eaten in days. Which he probably hadn't. Not properly. Not while running.
I watched him eat and tried not to think about how young he looked. How scared he must've been, walking into Inferno alone with nothing but desperation and hope.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Twenty-one." He didn't look up from the burger.
"You look younger."
"I get that a lot." Another bite. "My father says I look too much like my mother. Too soft. Not imposing enough for the family business."
"Have you ever been in a relationship?"
The question came out before I could stop it. Too personal. Too intrusive. None of my business.
Julian paused mid-bite. Set down the burger. Met my eyes.
"No. My family controlled who I talked to. Who I spent time with. The man they wanted me to marry would've been my first everything."
Something cold settled in my chest.
"First everything?"
"First kiss. First time. First relationship." Julian's voice was flat. Matter-of-fact. Like he was reciting facts instead of describing his own life. "They saved me for Dante. Made sure I stayed pure for him. That's what my father called it. Staying pure."
The kid was even more sheltered than Stefan. At least Stefan had lived a little before his family tried to control his future. Julian hadn't had that luxury.
"Was your father really going to force you into marriage?" I kept my voice neutral. Professional. Didn't let the anger show.
"It's been on the cards since I was fourteen. Arrangement made between my father and the Caruso family. Alliance building. Power consolidation. I was the price for their cooperation." Julian picked up a fry. Studied it like it held answers. "My father refused to negotiate when I got older and started objecting. Said the alliance was too important. That I'd learn to accept it."
"Your father sounds like a bastard."
Julian laughed without humor. "That's generous."
We sat in silence after that. It wasn't uncomfortable exactly. Just weighted with things neither of us was saying.
I should leave. Should let him finish eating in peace. Should maintain professional distance instead of sitting here making conversation like we were friends instead of captor and captive.
But I didn't move.
Julian finished the burger. Drank half the soda. Pushed the tray away and looked at me.
"Thank you. For the food."
