I know she hates me.
I also know she fears me.
And still—she cannot deny the strange, unwelcome awareness that coils between us. I see it in the way her hazel eyes darken, pupils dilating despite herself. In the way her breath changes when I step closer. In the way her anger sharpens instead of cooling.
She laughs suddenly, harsh and humorless.
“Do you even hear yourself?” she snaps. “Fragments. Syndicates. Death. You say it like you’re doing me a favor.”
Her hands curl into fists at her sides. She’s trembling now—not weak, not broken, but vibrating with rage.
“You’re no protector,” she continues. “You’re just another man who likes locking women in pretty cages and calling it mercy.”
I don’t react.
That only fuels her.
“You tell yourself this is business because it makes you feel less like what you are,” she says, eyes blazing. “A bully with money and guns. A coward who hides behind men who do his dirty work.”
Each word is aimed. Calculated.
“You talk about my father like you’re better than him,” she goes on, stepping closer again, chin lifted. “But you’re worse. A demon.”
Something tightens in my chest.
She doesn’t stop.
“You want obedience? Say that. Don’t dress it up as protection. Don’t lie to me like I’m stupid.”
Her gaze flicks over me, slow and scathing.
“And don’t look at me like that,” she adds viciously. “Like I’m something you own. Like I asked for this.”
The air between us crackles.
Each accusation lands, deliberate and sharp.
Each one fans the heat I’m trying—failing—to extinguish.
I don’t raise my voice. I don’t touch her again.
I stand there, silent, letting her burn herself out, letting her believe she has the upper hand.
But my fury simmers beneath restraint, tangled dangerously with desire.
And I realize, with grim clarity—
Keeping her alive will be easy.
Keeping myself under control will not be.
“So,” she says lightly, cruelly, “which one is it? Am I your hostage? Is this a midlife crisis?”
I draw breath to respond, but Nik appears by my side.
“What do you want?” I ask him.
He appears at my side, silent as a shadow. “Your brothers have arrived.”