CHAPTER 40: THE CALM BEFORE

Morning sunlight spilled through the kitchen window, warm and golden, catching dust motes in the air like tiny stars. Cassian sat at the table, wrapped in one of Aiden’s oversized hoodieswhich he stole because his cloths were all in "to wash bucket", watching Leonel scowl at the toaster like it had personally offended him.

"Maybe if you stopped shoving three slices in at once," Aiden said from the counter, pouring orange juice into three glasses, "it wouldn’t burn them."

"It’s supposed to be crispy," Leonel muttered, stabbing at a blackened piece with a fork.

Cassian smiled faintly. This this easy, messy normalcy was what he’d been starving for. But beneath the warmth, Lucian’s photo still sat heavy in his chest like a stone. He hadn’t told them. Couldn’t. Not when they looked this peaceful.

"You good?" Leonel asked suddenly, eyes flicking to him.

Cassian nodded too fast. "Yeah. Just... thinking."

Aiden slid a glass toward him. "About how burnt that toast is? Because I’m thinking the same."

Cassian laughed, and for a second, the weight lifted.

---

Later that afternoon, they walked to campus together no rush, no agenda. Just three guys killing time before their lives got complicated again. When they reached the humanities building, Cassian veered toward the stairwell.

"Where you going?" Aiden called.

"Rooftop," Cassian said over his shoulder. "Need air."

He didn’t wait for them to follow. He needed a minute just one to breathe without pretending.

The university rooftop was quiet, wind tugging at his hair, the city sprawling below like a living thing. He leaned against the railing, eyes closed, trying to hold onto the feeling of last night Leonel’s hand almost touching his face, Aiden’s warmth at his back, the way they’d looked at him like he was worth keeping.

"Mind if I join you?"

Cassian opened his eyes. Aiden stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, expression soft.

"Not at all," Cassian said. And saw leonel walking behind aiden peeking at cassian reading his expressions cassian smiled at the sight

Aiden leaned on the railing beside him and leonel on the other side . For a while, neither spoke. Then Aiden said, quiet, "You don’t have to tell us everything, Cass. But don’t carry it alone." leonel was just listning to them

Cassian’s throat tightened. He wanted to tell him. Wanted to say, Lucian’s watching. He has photos. He’s coming for us.But the words stuck.

"I just..." he whispered, "want to keep this. Just a little longer."

Aiden bumped his shoulder. "Then we’ll keep it."

Before Cassian could respond, heavy footsteps echoed behind them.

They turned.

Jace stood in the doorway, arms crossed, a smirk twisting his lips. "Well, well. The little trio’s having a moment."

Cassian stiffened. Aiden stepped slightly in front of him.

"What do you want, Jace?" Aiden asked, voice flat.

Jace ignored him, eyes locked on Cassian. "Just passing on a message from someone." He took a step closer to cassian and whispered in his ear. "He says hi. And that he’s got something special planned for you Saturday."

Cassian’s stomach dropped.he knew exactly whose message this was only one person talks like that. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t look away. "Tell him I’m not interested."

Jace laughed. "Oh, you will be." He glanced at Leonel and Aiden, then back at Cassian. "He said you’d try to hide behind them. But he’s not scared of your little guard dogs." he was speaking low leonel and aiden couldn’t hear him properly

Before Aiden could move, Leonel’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Get. Off. This roof."

Leonel stood in front of jace now, tall and furious, eyes blazing. Jace paled but held his ground for a second then backed off with a sneer. "See you Saturday, bunny." That’s the end line of his message he added

As soon as Jace disappeared down the stairs, Leonel was at Cassian’s side. "What did he say?" His voice was low, dangerous.

Cassian swallowed. "He said Lucian’s got something planned for Saturday. That it’s... special."

Leonel’s jaw clenched. "Fucking bastard."

But then he stepped closer, voice dropping. "Look at me." When Cassian did, Leonel’s expression softened. "You’re not alone in this, okay? Whatever he’s planning we face it together."

Aiden nodded, stepping up beside them. "He’s not getting you alone. Not ever."

Cassian looked between them his anchors, his shields and felt something unclench in his chest. "I don’t want to lose this," he admitted.

Leonel gripped his shoulder. "You won’t. Because we’re not letting go."

---

That night, Cassian didn’t sleep.

He sat on the edge of his bed, knees drawn to his chest, staring out the window like it might offer answers. Moonlight poured through the glass, painting silver streaks across his floor, catching the dust in the air like ghosts suspended in time. His room felt too quiet too still as if the walls themselves were holding their breath.

Outside, the city hummed in the distance: distant sirens, the occasional car rolling down the street, the rustle of leaves in the old oak tree that brushed against the side of the building. But here, in this room, it was like the world had stopped turning.

He kept replaying it the rooftop, Jace’s smirk, Leonel’s fury, Aiden’s steady presence. And beneath it all, the photo. Lucian’s words. That quiet, venomous "Found your family, bunny?"

Cassian hadn’t told them. Couldn’t. Because the moment he did, this fragile peace the way they’d looked at him like he belonged would shatter. And he wasn’t ready to lose that. Not yet.

He stood and walked to the window, pressing his forehead against the cool glass. His reflection stared back at him pale, wide-eyed, hair messy from running his hands through it too many times. He looked like someone waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And then knock knock knock.

He turned to look at his bedroom door the sound wasn’t coming from there.

At the balcony door window.

Cassian froze.

His breath caught in his throat. His pulse roared in his ears.

Slowly, he turned.

There, on the other side of the glass, stood Lucian.

He wasn’t supposed to be here.

He wasn’t even supposed to know which room was Cassian’s.

But there he was leaning casually against the balcony window door, one hand in his coat pocket, the other resting on the glass. Moonlight caught the sharp line of his jaw, the glint in his eyes. He looked calm. Collected. Like he’d just strolled up for a late-night chat, not scaled the side of a three-story building in the dead of night.

Cassian’s blood turned to ice.

Lucian lifted a hand and knocked again soft, deliberate, almost polite.

Then his voice came through the glass, smooth as silk and twice as dangerous:

"Open the door, Cassian."

A pause. A smile.

"Or should I go knock on Leonel’s instead?"

Cassian’s stomach dropped. He glanced down the hall Leonel’s door was closed, but what if he heard? What if he came out and saw Lucian here, on their balcony, like he had every right to be?

Hands trembling, Cassian unlocked the sliding door and yanked it open.

Cold night air rushed in, sharp and biting.

Lucian stepped inside without invitation, his boots silent on the hardwood. He didn’t look around. Didn’t gawk. Just stood there, close enough that Cassian could smell his cologne something dark, expensive, and utterly wrong in this space.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Cassian hissed, voice low and frantic. "This is so fucked up how did you even -"

Lucian didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out, cupped the back of Cassian’s head with surprising gentleness, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

It wasn’t romantic.

It wasn’t kind.

It was a claim. A warning. A reminder that he could touch him whenever he wanted and no one could stop him.

"Be quiet, sweetheart," Lucian murmured, lips still hovering near Cassian’s temple. His voice dropped to a whisper, rough and edged with threat. "Or next time, the kiss won’t be on your forehead."

Cassian flinched, but Lucian didn’t let go. His fingers slid into Cassian’s hair, slow and deliberate, tucking a stray strand behind his ear with a tenderness that made Cassian’s skin crawl.

"Tomorrow," Lucian said, finally stepping back just enough to meet his eyes, "the party starts at seven. Meet me in Room 73 at 9 pm the one just beneath the rooftop. I have something... very interesting to talk to you about."

Cassian’s breath hitched. "Why would I go anywhere with you?"

Lucian’s smile was slow, chilling. It didn’t touch his eyes they stayed dark, hollow, like he’d already decided Cassian’s fate.

"Because if you don’t..." He leaned in again, his breath warm against Cassian’s ear, voice dropping to a razor’s edge, "you don’t know how fucked up the shit I’ll do to you all."

He pulled back, studying Cassian’s face like he was memorizing every flicker of fear, every tremor in his hands. "You think they protect you? They’re the reason you’re in danger now."

Then, softer, almost fond "See you tomorrow, bunny."

He turned, slid the balcony door open, and stepped back into the night like he’d never been there at all.

Cassian stood frozen in the center of his room, heart hammering, skin cold despite the warmth of the house. The door clicked shut behind Lucian, but the silence that followed wasn’t peaceful.

It was the silence of a trap snapping shut.

Inside, the house was quiet.

the calm was over.

And the storm wasn’t coming.

It was already here.

And it wore Lucian’s smile.