Chapter 170 | This Is How I Show I Care

The ferry cut through the water, and I watched the mainland grow larger on the horizon. Ventura sprawled along the coast, a mix of white buildings, palm trees, and mountains in the background. It looked like freedom. Like normalcy.

"Tell me something," Addison said. "This power of yours. The touch thing. How exactly does it work?"

Aurora went still beside me. "Addy..."

"Just curious." Addison watched me over the rim of her sunglasses. "Scientific inquiry."

I weighed my options. Telling the truth seemed dangerous. But lying, especially with Aurora right there listening, seemed worse. She already knew most of it.

"It’s called Euphoric Feedback," I said. "Skin contact lets me manipulate nerve endings. I can make things feel... better."

"Things?" Addison pulled the lollipop from her mouth. "What kind of things?"

"Everything."

"Interesting." She twirled the candy stick between her fingers. "So what else can you do? Or is that all you’ve got?"

"That’s enough," Aurora said sharply. "Stop interrogating him."

"I’m being thorough." Addison stood up, that unsettling smile still playing at her lips. "If you’re gonna spend all night with him, I want to know what I’m missing." She paused. "You know. For science."

Aurora’s cheeks colored. "You’re not—this isn’t—"

"Relax." Addison adjusted her sunglasses. "I’m gonna check out the lower deck. You two need some privacy." She pointed her lollipop at me. "But later? I want a demonstration."

She walked away with that same predatory grace, her hips moving in a way that drew eyes from half the male students on the deck. The silence she left behind felt loaded with unspoken questions.

"Sorry," Aurora said once Addison disappeared down the stairs. "She doesn’t understand the concept of boundaries."

"I noticed." I shifted to face Aurora properly. "So. Overnight trip? When were you planning to mention that part?"

"Surprise!" Her smile looked anything but apologetic. "Think of it as an extra bonus for modeling those clothes."

"You said lunch was the payment."

"I know." She stretched out the word, totally unapologetic. "I lied. Sorry not sorry."

"Uh huh." I studied her face, trying to figure out if this was calculated seduction or just Aurora being Aurora. "And what exactly happens during this overnight trip?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Dinner at an actual restaurant. Not the dining hall, not a campus café. Real food with real service." She counted off on her fingers. "Then there’s a club that doesn’t check IDs if you have an academy card. Then the hotel."

"And Addison’s joining us for all of this?"

"Just dinner and the club. She’ll find someone to occupy her time afterward." Aurora leaned closer. "She always does."

The ferry horn ripped through the crowd’s chatter, sharp and abrupt. Students grabbed their bags and phones, already moving toward the exit ramps before the boat even touched the dock. Aurora stood and held her hand out to me.

"Ready for your first taste of freedom?"

I took it. "Lead the way."

Ventura hit us all at once. Sunshine, clean and warm. Food carts pumping out the smell of grilled meat and something sweet. The ferry terminal spilled straight into a promenade packed with tourists, shops, restaurants. It felt loud and busy and real in a way the island never did.

Aurora walked through the crowds like she owned the boardwalk. People moved out of her way without her even asking. Addison caught up to us a minute later, now wearing sunglasses that made her look even more like a threat.

"So," I said. "Lunch first?"

"Shopping first," Aurora said. "I want to get you a few more things while we’re here."

"You literally just bought me an entire wardrobe."

"Academy wardrobe. Mainland clothes are different." She pointed toward a row of upscale boutiques ahead. "Plus, Addison needs new boots."

"I don’t need new boots," Addison corrected around her lollipop. "I want new boots. There’s a difference."

We walked toward the first store—some designer place where the mannequins wore clothes worth more than my entire monthly stipend. My phone buzzed in my pocket. A text from Naomi.

Heard you’re off campus with Aurora and her scary friend. Have fun! Don’t forget squad training tomorrow at 2.

A pink heart emoji followed the message.

"Problem?" Aurora asked. She’d caught me reading.

"Just Naomi checking in."

"Ah." She nodded like something suddenly made sense. "The girlfriend chat."

"She’s not—"

"Stop." Aurora held up a hand. "We both know what she is to you. What they all are. I’m not an idiot, Jace."

Addison looked between us, confused. "What am I missing?"

"Nothing," Aurora said quickly. "Inside joke."

We entered the first store, and immediately a saleswoman approached Aurora with the recognition of a regular customer. "Miss Fitzgerald! Wonderful to see you again."

"Hi, Diane. Just browsing today." Aurora gestured to me. "My friend needs some casual wear for off-campus events."

"Of course." Diane’s eyes scanned me like I was a project to solve. "We just got our fall collection. This way."

The next hour turned into a whirlwind of dressing rooms and fabric swatches while Aurora played fashion dictator with the casual authority of someone who’d been doing this since birth. She’d point. Say yes or no. Move on. By the time we left, I was carrying three bags full of clothes I’d never have picked out—designer jeans, cashmere sweaters, a watch that probably cost more than everything I’d bought up to this point combined.

"Aurora," I said as we stepped out of the third store. "This is too much."

"It’s really not." She passed me another bag without breaking stride. "My family makes this much in about twenty minutes of board meetings."

"That doesn’t make it better."

She stopped. Turned to face me properly. "Look, I know this seems insane to you. But this is how I show I care, okay? So let me do it."

The vulnerability in her voice caught me off guard. The confidence stripped back just enough to show something real underneath.

"Fine," I said. "But this is the last store."