The forest was quiet again.
Neither of them spoke at first. Kane stood beside the fire he built, hands relaxed at his sides. Rosalie stood just across from him, arms crossed, eyes sharp, but not hostile.
"So," Kane said, breaking the silence. "You always walk this deep into the woods… or were you looking for me?"
Rosalie gave him a sideways glance. "I was hunting. Your fire just happened to be in the way."
He smirked. "Convenient."
She didn't answer. The way he stood calm, confident, like he belonged in the wilderness was unusual. And the fact that he smelled human still didn't make sense. No fear. No heartbeat stutter.
Just stillness.
"You've been watching the school," she said, more like a statement than a question.
Kane nodded once. "Thinking about showing up."
"Why?" Her voice held a trace of suspicion now. "You don't seem like someone who wants to blend in."
"I don't." His tone was casual, but firm. "But I'm curious. People talk differently when they think you're one of them. I want to hear what they really sound like."
She gave a small, amused breath. "That's a strange reason to join high school."
Kane grinned. "So's being a vampire in it."
Rosalie didn't answer, but her eyes narrowed slightly.
The silence between them stretched again, not tense, just heavy.
Kane glanced toward the edge of the trees. "You heading back?"
Rosalie hesitated, then nodded. "Eventually."
A beat passed.
Then Kane looked toward the trees and said, "I'll walk with you."
Rosalie raised an eyebrow, surprised. "I didn't invite you."
"You didn't have to," he said, already stepping beside her. "I'm not asking."
She didn't stop him.
They moved through the forest side by side, the soft crunch of leaves underfoot the only sound between them. Moonlight cut through the canopy in thin streaks, catching the edge of Rosalie's hair, and casting shadows across Kane's face.
She walked a few steps ahead, arms loosely crossed, but her eyes flicked toward him now and then.
"I never said you could walk me home," she said without looking.
"You didn't have to," Kane replied, his tone even. "I decided."
Rosalie rolled her eyes. "You always do whatever you want?"
"Only when it matters."
There was something about the way he said it not arrogant, not defensive. Just honest. Blunt like the rest of him.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
Kane gave a low exhale, almost a laugh. "What gave me away? The no shoes or the fact that I punched a tree in half?"
She smirked despite herself. "Both, probably."
They ducked under a low branch, the trees thinning now as they neared the edge of Cullen land. Kane kept pace without effort, like his body knew exactly where to step without making a sound.
"Still," she said, glancing back, "I've met plenty of overconfident guys before. They talk too much, try too hard. You're… different."
Kane didn't respond right away. His eyes were ahead, expression unreadable. Then-
"I don't pretend to be more than I am," he said. "And I don't lie to get what I want."
Rosalie slowed her steps. They were close now close enough she could see the soft glow of her house in the distance between the trees.
She turned to him. "And what is it you want?"
Kane's gaze finally met hers. Calm. Direct. Steady as the ground beneath them.
"You'll know when I do."
No bravado. No games. Just something firm and unreadable beneath the surface.
Rosalie didn't answer. She turned back toward the house and kept walking. He stayed with her until they reached the edge of the trees.
She stepped forward, pausing at the clearing.
Kane stopped just inside the tree line, half-shadowed, half-lit.
"Goodnight," she said softly.
He gave a single nod. "Get some rest, Rosalie."
And with that, he turned, disappearing back into the forest without another word.
Rosalie watched the dark swallow him whole.
She didn't know what to make of him yet.
But she knew this wasn't over.