Priscilla POV
"PRISCILLA!"
Skylar's scream ripped me straight out of my daze.
I flinched hard, fingers tightening around the swing chains as my heart stuttered like it forgot how to function. I blinked, breath uneven, pulse roaring in my ears.
Skylar stood near the park gate, waving like she was trying to flag down a helicopter. Rose hovered beside her, arms crossed, eyes locked on me with unmistakable worry.
Right.
I was supposed to meet them.
I turned my head—slowly, deliberately—back toward the trees.
Nothing.
No tall figure standing too still for comfort.
No sharp silhouette swallowed by shadows.
No golden, predatory eyes watching me like I was something already claimed.
He was gone.
He was gone.
Just... gone.
I swallowed, irritation curling hot in my chest. I hated unanswered questions. And that man? He was one massive, walking question mark wrapped in sin and shadows.
If curiosity killed the cat, then I was already dead and haunting the place.
I turned away and jogged toward my friends.
Rose's eyes flicked behind me the second I reached them, then snapped back to my face. The color had drained from her skin, lips pressed into a thin line like she was holding back words
"What?" I snapped with a laugh. "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"
"I think I did," she muttered. "There was... someone. Over there."
My stomach flipped.
Dylan's gaze sharpened instantly, the casual slouch he usually wore snapping into something alert and protective. "You were alone?"
The way he asked—quiet, measured—made my spine straighten despite myself.
"Yes," I replied flatly, lifting my chin. "I can handle myself."
Axel arched a brow, folding his arms. "In the dark?"
"Yes," I shot back, unimpressed. "In the dark. With my thoughts. Shocking, I know."
I expected a laugh. A sarcastic comment. Something.
Nothing.
Their silence pressed in, thick and uncomfortable.
Rose's eyes flicked past me again, scanning the trees like she expected something to step out of the shadows. Max shifted his weight, jaw tight, and even Axel—usually the first to crack a joke—looked unsettled.
Great. Now I'd officially made it weird.
Skylar, bless her dramatic soul, clapped her hands loudly, the sharp sound slicing through the tension like a blade.
"Okay!" she announced brightly. "Enough creepy forest energy before one of us actually summons a demon or something."
She grinned, eyes sparkling as she hooked her arm through mine. "We're young, hot, and officially free from school. Which means—"
"Party," Max finished smoothly, a grin spreading across his face as if the word alone restored his faith in humanity.
I hesitated.
Not because I didn't like parties—I did. Noise, chaos, music loud enough to drown out thoughts. But something about the night felt... off. Like the universe had tilted slightly, and I hadn't figured out why yet.
YOU ARE READING
Challenging King Aiden |✔|
Fantasy"Why? Why me?" I said. Why is it my fate that has to be upside down? "You should be happy. Every women will die to be in your place." The jerk in front of me said, smirking. "Well, I am not every women." I snapped. I should never looked at him. "I w...
