Xavier woke up to warm sunlight sliding through the blinds, the sheets tangled around his legs and Angel's arm thrown lazily across his stomach. Her hair was all over his chest, her bare skin pressed against him like she'd melted there sometime in the night. He brushed a strand off her face, slid out of bed without waking her, grabbed his shorts from the floor, and headed out toward the kitchen.

He was thinking about cooking something stupidly sweet for her just to mess with her mood when he stepped into the living room and saw Lyra and Lilia already awake. They were sitting stiffly on the couch, not watching anything, not talking either—just sitting there like they'd been waiting for him.

Xavier stopped halfway. "What happened? Why do you both look like someone died?"

Lyra shot upright immediately, tail tense, ears raised, eyes wide like she'd been holding something in for hours. She opened her mouth to speak, but Lilia cut in before a single sound escaped.

"Nothing happened," Lilia said. "We were just… deciding what to do today. That's all."

Xavier didn't even look at her. He'd known her long enough to hear when she was lying. He kept his eyes on Lyra. "What happened?"

Lyra shifted her weight from foot to foot, hands fidgeting, gaze flicking toward Lilia like she was waiting for permission that wasn't coming. The hesitation annoyed him more than the situation.

Xavier leaned forward slightly. "Lyra," he said quietly, "I'll take you to an unlimited buffet today."

Her ears shot up at once. Her tails twitched like they were wagging. "Really?"

"Yeah. But tell me what's going on."

Her voice came out faster than she intended. "There is someone harassing Lilia."

The air in the room changed instantly.

Xavier's expression didn't move much, but something sharp settled in his eyes. "Start talking."

Lyra stepped closer to him, lowering her voice as though the walls themselves might listen. "He kept calling her. All night. All morning. When we went out yesterday, he followed us. He kept trying to talk to her even after she told him no. He was… persistent. Very persistent."

Xavier glanced at Lilia. She refused to meet his eyes.

Lyra kept going. "I wanted to kill him. I really did. But Lilia stopped me. She said I can't kill anyone in the city. She kept pulling me away every time I tried to confront him."

Xavier tilted his head slightly. "Who is he?"

Lilia swallowed and took a slow breath, shoulders stiff. "Forget it. It's nothing serious. I'll handle it."

"Lilia," Xavier said, voice firm, "name."

She hesitated again. He could practically see her fighting herself over it.

Then she finally spoke. "Professor Arin Velmore."

Xavier frowned. "Your professor? What does a professor want with you? And why the hell is he following you around like that?"

Lilia's voice was small when she answered. "My results came out. I failed one subject. He said if I… if I sleep with him, he'll give me extra points so I can pass."

A long moment passed in silence.

Lyra looked ready to rip someone's throat out.

Lilia looked ready to disappear.

Xavier looked like someone had just switched off the last bit of his patience.

He stepped closer. "What else?"

Lilia shook her head quickly. "It's fine. Really. I can handle it. I don't want to depend on you for every little thing. And with you leaving for space soon… I need to learn how to deal with things alone. I'll manage."

Xavier didn't respond immediately.

But the calm look on his face wasn't calm at all.

It was the kind of stillness right before something dangerous moved.

Lyra's last words were still hanging in the room when Xavier walked past both of them and turned toward the kitchen counter, resting both palms on the surface like he needed something to hold onto before he tore the entire building down. The sunlight from the balcony framed him from the side, catching the tension in his jaw, and the stillness in his shoulders was too controlled.

That was the kind of calm that always came before he broke someone.

"Professor Arin Velmore," he repeated. "And he followed you around after that? Tried talking to you? Called you all night?"

Lilia stayed silent, eyes fixed on the floor.

Lyra answered for her. "Yes."

"Did he touch her?"

Lilia shook her head quickly. "No. He didn't touch me. He just… wouldn't stop trying to push the topic."

Lyra's voice sharpened. "But he definitely wanted to."

That was enough.

Xavier pushed away from the counter and walked straight up to Lilia. She still refused to look at him, her fists tight against her thighs.

"Lilia," he said quietly, "show me where he is."

"No." Her voice cracked, but she shook her head firmly. "No, Xavier. I said I'll handle it. I don't want you involved in this. Not everything needs you to jump in and fix it."

He stared at her for a long moment.

Lilia kept speaking, trying to keep her voice steady. "You'll leave soon. And I'll be here. I can't depend on you for everything. If I start relying on you like that, what will happen when you're gone? I need to deal with my problems myself. I have to learn that."

"Handle it?" Xavier asked. "By letting him stalk you around campus?"

Her jaw clenched. "I said I'll take care of it."

"And I said no."

Her eyes finally lifted to his, surprised at how blunt he was. But before she could argue, he turned to Lyra.

"You recognize that bastard?"

Lyra didn't even hesitate. "Yes."

"Good." Xavier nodded once. "You're coming with me."

Lilia stepped forward. "Xavier—"

He reached the door. "Stay here. When we're done, I'll let you know."

Lyra rushed after him, tail swaying, ears pointed sharply forward like a predator ready for a hunt. She gave Lilia a small, reassuring squeeze on the shoulder as she passed.

"It'll be fine," she whispered. "Xavier won't kill him. Probably."

Lilia didn't smile.

Xavier and Lyra stepped into the hallway, and the moment the apartment door closed, Xavier's steps changed—long, confident, carrying that dangerous decisiveness he never used unless someone crossed a line.

They took the elevator down to the parking floor.

Lyra stayed close behind him, eyes sharp, posture ready. She didn't need to ask what he planned to do. Whatever it was, she would stand next to him without question.

The parking floor was dim, quiet, smelling faintly of engine oil and disinfectant. Xavier's bike waited near the far corner, still carrying the dust of his late-night ride from the club. He swung his leg over it, thumbed the ignition, and the engine roared awake

Lyra climbed on behind him, arms sliding around his torso, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"Point me toward him the moment we get there," Xavier said.

"I will," she murmured.

He twisted the throttle.

The bike shot forward like a bullet, tires screeching as they tore out of the parking floor and into the open ramp. The cold morning air hit them immediately as the bike leaned into the streets below Nexus Tower.

Lyra held him tighter as they sliced through traffic, buildings flashing past in a blur of silver and neon.

They were headed straight toward her university.

And Xavier was going to find Professor Arin Velmore.

One way or another.