~ Adeline ~

The bike hums to a stop outside the little restaurant tucked behind the student square.

Uriel kills the engine and swings one leg down, his jacket catching the light in a sharp line across his shoulders.

He turns his head just enough for me to see the half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Still alive back there?”

I feel like I've lost a couple of years of my life," I mutter, ripping the helmet off. My hair's messy, and my pulse even worse.

"You're okay for a ...