Page 153 of Saint Céline

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“No way.”

“Céline.”

“Do not say my name like that.”

His eyes sharpened, but he did not move closer. Smart.

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“People are watching.”

“They always are.”

“You need privacy.”

“I needed privacy before you turned my father into a campus event.”

The words struck him. Good. I wanted him wounded. I wanted him bleeding in some way I could see. But beneath the anger, my mind was already moving, cold and practical and traitorous. Daniel had found me. People had heard. Wendy had heard enough. My mother was still at the Montgomery estate, unaware that the man she had escaped had reentered our lives with Vincent Moreau’s hand at his back. And Vincent was right. I needed privacy. I needed locks. I needed a place Daniel could not reach, and students could not gossip through thin walls.

I hated that the only answer standing in front of me had created the question.

“I’m not going with you,” I said.

Vincent’s gaze held mine.

“No?”

“No.” My voice steadied. “Not like this.” I lifted my chin. “If I come, it is not because you won. It is not because you frightened me properly. It is not because I forgive you, and it is not because you get to keep me.”

The courtyard had blurred around us, the students, the wet stone, Wendy’s pale face, the old buildings watching like judges. None of it mattered as much as the rules forming in my mouth before fear could steal them.

“Miss Astoria comes with me.”

“Of course.”

“I get my own room. With a lock.”

His jaw tightened slightly. “Yes.”

“Sophia and Anya know where I am at all times.”

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“Yes.”

“I can leave whenever I want.”

There was a small, dangerous pause.

Then he said, “As you wish.”

“You stay out of my phone, my laptop, my bag, and my medication.”

His eyes changed at the last word. I saw the question form. He nodded once.

“Okay.”

“You do not contact my mother.”

“Céline—”

“No.” My voice sharpened. “You do not contact my mother. You do not use her, scare her, help her, protect her, pay her, speak to her, or stand near her unless I tell you to. She is not one of your pressure points.”