Jayden stared at Penelope. Not in anger. Not in awe. Just... confusion. A tangled storm of thoughts he couldn't untie.
"Why?" he asked softly, eyes still locked on hers.
Penelope didn't flinch. Didn't look away. She chuckled light, almost airy, as if he'd just asked something adorably naive.
"Because I know you're not normal, Jayden."
Her voice was steady, low, like silk stretched over steel.
"I haven't seen anyone your age with the kind of strength you showed back there. Even your aura… it's off. Wild."
Her gaze returned to the road, city lights flickering in her eyes like stardust.
"I've known since the first day we met."
She paused, then added:
"But I needed to see. Just how strong you were."
Jayden's brows knit, his mouth a flat line.
"And?" he asked, cautious but curious.
She turned slightly, just enough to meet his gaze. There was something there.. admiration, maybe even something deeper, before she faced forward again.
