Chapter 4

Syanna should’ve heeded Juliet’s advice. She shouldn’t have looked back. Because when she did, she wanted to run. 

No, forget that. 

She wanted to evaporate into thin air. 

The look on Cole’s face as he stormed toward them was nothing but wrath, and he was staring directly at her. 

What the hell did she do? 

Only ten minutes ago, he was staring at her with a blank expression as if he didn’t even know her! And now… now he was looking at her as if he wanted to kill her—as if she was the very bane of his existence, and he would do anything to wipe her from the face of this earth. 

The worst part? Syanna had no idea why. 

The flowers along the ground shrivelled and died as he got closer, and Syanna’s grip on Juliet’s hand grew impossibly tighter. What would he do to her? 

What COULD he do to her here at Unici? 

It was then that Syanna realised he couldn't possibly hurt her right here in front of everyone in the middle of the first day of school. And so, she decided that she wasn’t scared of him. Besides, even though she told herself to forget about the man she met two years ago, did he really have it in him to actually hurt her? 

So, with a  deep breath, she released Juliet’s hand, avoiding her friend's protests and warnings, and met Cole halfway, with nothing but confidence in each stride. 

On a regular day, Syanna would never make a move this bold. But Cole was confusing and frustrating. They have interacted three times in her entire life, with this confrontation making a third. And all three times, Cole had a different reaction to her. 

Quite frankly, it was annoying. 

His eyebrows shot up at her bold gesture as Syanna stopped in front of him, and for a minute, he almost looked impressed before he pointed an accusing finger in her face. 

“You,” he growled, his voice low and threatening like a beast in disguise. 

“Me?” Syanna asked in a teasing voice, pissing him off even more. 

His hand darted out, as if he was about to grab her, but it froze suddenly. It was almost like he was stopped by force. But this, of course, only caused Syanna’s to smile even wider. 

“What are you?” he demanded. “Are you a witch? Are you working with Genevieve to keep me here?” 

“Geny-who?” Syanna scoffed.  “Look, Cole, I don’t know what you think I am, but I am a human and have done nothing to you.” 

He laughed. It was almost sinister, with a hint of sarcasm. “You expect me to believe that you’re a human in a supernatural school? And if you haven’t done anything to me, how do you know my name?” 

This was her chance. 

This was her chance to scream at him and tell him that they had met before, that he had haunted her dreams for two years and invaded her thoughts every day. That it was unfair that she had wasted so much of her time thinking about him when he didn’t even spare her a second thought. That it hurt like hell knowing she was so forgettable, and knowing he was nothing but a jerk all this time. 

But she didn’t. She didn’t think she could even get half of her thoughts out. So, instead, she said, “You’re pretty hard not to know.” 

And it was true. He was the only Phoenix, and the only supernatural who could literally do whatever the hell they wanted in this academy. From what she had gathered in the ten minutes she had been talking to Juliet, Cole could do anything he wanted and no one would dare step to him. 

He was feared here at Unici, because he was considered to be the ‘Prince Of Darkness’ whatever the hell that meant. But no one challenged him. Not even the headmistress.  

“You did something to me,” Cole insisted, breaking Syanna from her thoughts. “And when I find out what, you will not be happy with what I’ll do to you.” 

His golden eyes, which were so warm and soft two years ago, were now sharp and deadly. He was steaming. Syanna could literally feel the heat radiating from his body. 

Yet, she had no idea where this confidence and fearlessness came from. Maybe it was her spite, just wanting to poke hurt at him the same way he had done with her. And she knew the only thing she could have done at that moment to upset him more, was disregard his threat. 

“Oh, whatever you want,” Syanna said with a careless shrug. “Do your best, really.” She laughed simply for emphasis. “You’re not worth a minute of my day, anyway.” 

And then, she turned and stepped away. Or, at least, she tried to. But his hand circled around her wrist, pulling her back to his chest with a force that shook her entire being. 

She gasped as something ran through her—something quite similar to what she had felt two years ago when he had touched her for the first time. And hell, she knew he felt it too. She could see it in the way his back tensed. 

But his anger or ego (whichever was stronger) made him pretend he didn’t feel a thing. 

And then it occurred to her. Was he just pretending all this time? Did he truly know her, or was he pretending he didn’t? 

No, Syanna decided. If he had recognized her, even a little bit, she would’ve known. But the look in his eyes now held no recognition of her. 

Not even an ounce. 

So, she yanked her hand from his grip, flashed her hair over her shoulder, and stormed back to her seat, leaving him in a heaving, hot mess.

“Oh my gosh, give me your hand,” Juliet demanded, holding the area where Cole had grabbed Syanna. “We’ll have to get some water from Ivy Lake to—”

But Juliet’s face fell with both shock and confusion as she gazed at Syanna’s spotless wrist. 

“What’s the matter?” Syanna asked, glancing back quickly, but realising that Cole was once again gone. 

“Your hand…” Juliet shook her head. “If he was that angry and grabbed you, your hand should’ve been burnt. How… How did you…”

Syanna pulled her hand from Juliet with a shrug. “I don’t know. It’s not a big deal.” 

But the look on Juliet’s face showed Syanna that it, indeed, was a big deal. Yet, Juliet dropped it. 

Some mysteries were best left unsolved, but Syanna swore at that moment that she would solve the mystery of this Prince of Darkness. 

No matter what it takes.