Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 53

**Change Begins With You — Jayden Collins**
**Chapter 53**

**Maya**

“It’s me,” I declared, my voice barely above a whisper.

Elise blinked, clearly taken aback. “What?”

With a sense of urgency, I pointed at the sketch sprawled across the table. My finger quivered slightly as I traced the outline of the figure. “That woman. Look at her—same hair, same eyes… even the shape of her face.”

Elise leaned in, her curiosity piqued, until our heads were nearly touching. I could feel the warmth of her breath against my skin, a soft hitch escaping her lips as she took in the details. “Okay, that’s definitely… weird.”

“It’s not just weird,” I insisted, my voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “It’s exact. See the curve of her jaw? That’s mine.”

For a moment, silence enveloped us, the air thick with an unspoken tension, as if the ancient ink on the page had absorbed the weight of our discovery. It felt surreal, almost as if the very room was holding its breath alongside us.

Elise glanced at me, her brow knitted in concern. “You sure someone’s not trying to mess with us?”

I shook my head vehemently, my heart racing. “No. This is real. I know it sounds insane, but when I touched the page, it pulsed. I swear it did.”

She hesitated, her gaze darting between me and the book, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

“Maybe it’s enchanted ink or something? I mean, this is Blackridge. The archives have books that could probably eat us if we read them wrong.”

Her attempt at humor fell flat, the gravity of the moment weighing heavily on my chest. My pulse raced, the sensation of something alive pressing against the back of my mind—a whisper that wasn’t mine, a name that hummed just below the surface.

Astrid.

The name ignited a fire in my chest, heavy and foreign, like a memory that belonged to someone else entirely.

“Okay,” Elise said cautiously, her voice laced with concern. “Before you go full possession movie on me, let’s just—”

Suddenly, the library door swung open.

I snapped my head up, my heart leaping into my throat.

Caden stood in the doorway, sunlight streaming around him like a halo, illuminating the wildness of his features. He looked out of place, as if the marble floors and hushed whispers were too tame for his untamed spirit. His gaze locked onto me, then shifted to the table, and before I could think, I slammed the book shut.

The sound reverberated through the quiet library, too loud, and I saw Elise flinch at the sudden noise.

Caden’s expression shifted, his eyes narrowing with concern. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” I replied too quickly, my voice betraying me with its defensiveness. I hurriedly shoved the book into my bag, desperate to hide its cover from his view. “Just… researching.”

He stepped closer, his presence filling the space around us like an impending storm. “You look pale.”

“I’m fine.” I forced a smile, gripping the strap of my bag tighter as if it could anchor me. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the area.” His tone remained even, but there was a softness in his eyes when they met mine. “And I felt you.”

A strange twist of emotions churned in my stomach. “You… felt me?”

He nodded slightly, a flicker of something serious crossing his features.

“The bond,” he murmured, his voice low and intimate. “It’s stronger now. When you’re anxious, I can feel it.”

I tried to suppress the weight of his words, the realization that I had stumbled upon something monumental, something that could alter everything. And yet, here I was, with the one person I should have confided in, hiding the truth.

“I’m okay,” I repeated, though this time my voice lacked conviction, the words almost a plea.

Caden reached out, his fingers brushing lightly over mine, a touch that sent a shiver of warmth through me. “You don’t have to lie to me, Maya.”

His touch steadied me, but guilt flared sharply beneath my ribs. “I’m not lying. I just… needed to see something.”

Caden reached up, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering against my skin. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that?”

“I’m improving,” I whispered, and his smile deepened just a fraction, lighting up his face.

He tilted his head, a teasing glint in his eyes. “You smell like dust and ink. Have you been here long?”

“Just a couple of hours. Elise and I were researching—” I caught myself too late, my pulse quickening. The urge to share bubbled up within me, but it was as if an invisible barrier held me back.

His brow furrowed, suspicion creeping into his gaze. “Researching what?”

“Nothing important,” I said quickly, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “Just some mythology stuff. It’s not a big deal.”

Caden’s gaze lingered on my bag for a moment too long, a hint of doubt shadowing his expression. “You’re sure?”

“Positive,” I affirmed, though uncertainty gnawed at me.

He sighed, finally relenting. “Alright. But next time you’re doing research, maybe let me know before you wander off. I almost went to your class looking for you.”

“God forbid I embarrass you in public,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

He smiled that slow, crooked smile that always unraveled me. “You could never embarrass me.”

“Mm, give me time,” I retorted playfully.

He chuckled softly, reaching for my hand, his grip warm and reassuring. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before I start sneezing from all this ancient dust.”

I hesitated for just a moment, glancing back at the table where the book had rested. The faint shimmer on the cover had already faded, leaving it looking ordinary, almost mundane.

Yet, deep within my bag, I could still feel a faint vibration—a heartbeat pulsing against the leather.

I swallowed hard, the weight of my secret heavy in my chest, and followed Caden out of the library, the echoes of whispers swirling in the depths of my mind.