Beside her, Sir Sparkleton was half-sunk into the sand, his square head tilted back dramatically.
"Miss Lilith’s relaxation levels: 74%. Wind speed optimal. Sunset: photogenic. Recomnd mory capture."
Lilith didn’t even glance at him.
"If you take another photo of , I swear I’ll turn you into a mailbox," she muttered without emotion.
"Processing threat... added to affectionate teasing folder."
A quiet chuckle escaped her lips barely but it was there. The robot was ridiculous. But also Unloyal..
From behind, soft footsteps approached.
From a short distance, Jack walked up the shore with a coconut in hand, stopping when he saw her silhouette bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
He paused.
She didn’t look human in that mont.
She looked tiless.
"I brought you another one," he said, offering the coconut sheepishly.
Lilith turned her head slightly, her eyes catching the golden light as she looked at him.
"You’re spoiling ," she said, but took it anyway.
And Jack just stood beside her with that sa easy, boyish smile. His cheeks were faintly pink, whether from the sun or from simply being near her, even he didn’t know. He looked at the setting sun like a child watching magic, and then glanced at Lilith again...just quietly happy to share this mont with her.
Lilith didn’t say much. But for once, she wasn’t thinking of escaping or burning sothing down. The ocean had cald her just a little. The breeze had softened her edges.
After the sun dipped completely into the sea, they got back on their bicycles. Jack led the way, guiding her through the small winding road that curved through the palm trees and along the beach, heading back toward the his house..
Lilith’s hair fluttered in the wind, and Sir Sparkleton sat proudly in her basket like a victorious knight.
They didn’t know.
They didn’t see the black SUV following behind them on the far edge of the road. Slow. Silent. Shadows swallowing its shine.
Inside, the temperature was ice.
Alexander sat in the back seat, no longer composed.
His back rested stiffly against the leather seat, one hand clenching the phone so tightly it had cracked slightly near the corner. The screen still glowed with the last photo Sir Sparkleton had sent...Lilith smiling, wind in her hair, a boy beside her. Laughing. Relaxed. Free.
With soone that wasn’t him.
Alexander’s breathing was slow but ragged. His jaw was clenched so tightly the muscle twitched. And then—
His hand snapped into a fist.
The phone cracked further. His nails dug into his palm until blood began to drip silently onto his coat.
He didn’t even feel it.
Assistant Quinn, seated in front, had gone rigid. He didn’t dare look back.
Not when the air felt like it could slice skin.
Not when his boss looked ready to kill.
Alexander’s voice finally ca...low and dangerous.
"Speed up just a little. Stay in the shadows. Don’t let her see ... not yet."
Quinn nodded silently.
Alexander’s eyes never left the pair ahead—
Her hair, the way she tilted her head when she laughed—
That boy, riding beside her like he deserved to.
He didn’t.
She’s mine.
Mine to own.
Mine to punish.
Mine to protect.
And tonight—
She will rember.
"Well... do you want to see the bonfire?" Jack asked, his voice slightly breathless as he tried to keep pace beside her. The sky had turned a soft shade of violet, and the breeze carried the scent of sea salt and warm sand. "I told my friends to prepare it... for you. Would you... would you like to go?"
His cheeks were pink..pletely red now—and he tried not to look directly at her.
Lilith turned her head, a soft breeze lifting her hair as she blinked at him. Before she could answer—
Sir Sparkleton, still seated proudly in her front basket like a tiny king, chirped happily,
"Wow! I would like to! Sir Jack! Miss Lilith might be impressed with your skills... Maybe she accept your confession. Current success rate: 3.4%!"
Jack nearly slamd into a coconut tree.
He jolted so hard on his bicycle that he wobbled for three full seconds, flailing to stabilize the handlebars.
"I-I—What?! I wasn’t confessing!" he shouted, voice cracking slightly.
Lilith side-eyed the poor boy, watching him turn an even deeper shade of red. Her lips curled into the faintest smirk.
"Don’t make fun of young boys," she said flatly, her voice laced with dry amusent, eyes on Sir Sparkleton.
"Understood. Current success rate: 3.0%" The robot beeped cheerfully.
Jack groaned into his hands. "Please make it stop..."
Lilith laughed under her breath. The kind of laugh that didn’t show teeth, just soft, effortless sound...the kind that made even the evening wind pause.
Behind them, as they turned the road heading toward the beach....
The black SUV ca to a silent stop under the shadow of a tree.
****
"My na is Finn!" said the boy with sandy hair and a goofy grin, raising his hand like they were in class.
"I’m Darek," said the taller one with a deeper voice, nodding politely but clearly intrigued by the mysterious woman beside Jack.
"And I’m Lila!" the bubbly girl with bright eyes and beach-tousled curls chid in, smiling widely. "Nice to et you!"
They were gathered near the bonfire pit on the beach, the flas flickering in soft orange hues as the sky faded deeper into night. The scent of burning wood and salty air surrounded them, and the sound of waves added a calming rhythm in the background.
Jack stood beside Lilith, looking a bit too excited but trying to play it cool. "And this is..."
Lilith glanced around once at the small group, her gaze cool but not unfriendly.
"Lilith," she said simply.
Her voice was soft, but sothing about the way she said her na made them all go quiet for a second. There was weight in her tone...grace wrapped in power. Even the firelight seed to flicker a little brighter when she spoke.
"Whoa, that’s a cool na," Lila said quickly, trying to break the mont. "Like... strong. Mysterious."
Sir Sparkleton popped up from behind her, having sohow dragged a beach chair and wedged himself into it like a royal guest.
"Miss Lilith is mysterious and powerful. Data confirms—99.9% chance she is the dangerous guest this island has ever seen."
Everyone laughed.
Lilith, however, just gave a tiny, knowing smile.
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