Chapter 13: The Salt of the Earth
1182 Words
The rain wouldn’t stop.
It hit the glass ceiling above in a steady, heavy rhythm, filling the quiet medical room with a cold, hollow sound. Everything smelled clean… too clean. Like nothing real was allowed to exist here.
Adrian sat on the edge of the table, his shirt somewhere on the floor, forgotten.
Blood ran slowly down his shoulder.
The cut was ugly. Not deep enough to kill him, but bad enough to hurt like hell. The kind of wound that stayed angry.
“I told you to stay in the car, Lily,” he said, his voice rough, tight from pain.
Lily stood near the tray of supplies, her fingers shaking.
At first, it was part of the act.
But now… it wasn’t fully fake.
“I couldn’t,” she said softly. “I saw you… there was so much blood… I just—”
She swallowed.
“I couldn’t stay away.”
She stepped closer.
Her eyes quickly scanned the wound—automatically, instinctively.
Four inches. Not too deep. No artery. Needs stitches.
Her fingers paused.
Stop.
That wasn’t Lily.
That wasn’t the girl she was supposed to be.
So she forced herself to hesitate, to look unsure, to act scared of the blood instead of understanding it.
“You’re shaking,” Adrian said quietly, watching her closely.
“It’s just… a lot,” she whispered.
She moved between his knees, standing close now.
Too close.
She could smell him—the rain, the faint metal scent of blood, and something dark and expensive she couldn’t name.
Her hand hovered over the wound for a second.
Then she pressed the gauze against it.
Firm.
Perfect.
Adrian hissed, his body tightening.
“I’m sorry!” she quickly said, loosening her grip, pretending to panic. “I didn’t mean to— I’m trying to be careful.”
“It’s fine,” he said, but his eyes didn’t leave her face.
Not even for a second.
“How do you know how to do that?”
The question hit like a warning.
Lily’s heart skipped.
“I… I used to help the school nurse,” she said, keeping her voice small. “I get hurt a lot… so she showed me how to stop bleeding.”
She didn’t look at him.
She couldn’t.
Because if she did… she might forget who she was supposed to be.
She started cleaning the wound slowly.
Carefully.
Not too perfect.
Not too confident.
But the silence in the room started to feel heavier with every second.
She could feel his gaze on her.
Watching everything.
She reached for the needle.
Her fingers paused again.
Not too fast.
She leaned closer.
Too close.
Her hand brushed his skin.
Warm.
Alive.
Her breath caught.
For a second… everything slipped.
The plan.
The revenge.
Her father.
All of it faded.
Her eyes moved from the wound… to his neck… to the steady pulse beating there.
He could have died.
The thought hit hard.
Too hard.
Not like a mission failure.
Not like losing a target.
But something deeper.
Something real.
Her chest tightened.
“Lily?” his voice was softer now.
She realized she had stopped moving.
The needle was still in her hand.
Her eyes slowly met his.
And for once…
She didn’t look away.
“I can’t lose you,” she whispered.
The words came out before she could stop them.
Her own voice scared her.
Adrian’s hand moved suddenly.
He grabbed her wrist—not harsh, but strong.
Holding her there.
“Why?” he asked.
It wasn’t just a question.
It felt like a demand.
“A girl like you… shouldn’t care if I live or die.”
Lily’s mind raced.
She should lie.
Say something simple.
Safe.
But her throat felt tight.
And the truth slipped out anyway.
“Because… you’re not just… someone like that,” she said, her voice breaking. “To me… you’re just Adrian.”
Something changed in his eyes.
Something dangerous.
He pulled her closer.
Now she was right there, almost sitting against him, trapped between his arms.
“You don’t make sense,” he murmured, his thumb brushing her wrist, feeling her pulse. “Sometimes you act like you don’t know anything… and sometimes…”
His eyes darkened.
“You feel like you know too much.”
He leaned his forehead against hers.
The storm outside felt louder.
Closer.
“I don’t trust you,” he whispered softly.
Her breath hitched.
“But I don’t want you to leave.”
Her heart pounded.
Her mind screamed at her to step back.
To fix this.
To remember why she was here.
The mission comes first.
But her body didn’t move.
“Then don’t make me leave,” she said quietly.
That was it.
That broke something in him.
His hand moved to the back of her neck, pulling her in.
The kiss wasn’t gentle.
It wasn’t planned.
It was sudden, messy, desperate.
Like both of them were trying to hold onto something they didn’t understand.
She didn’t think.
Didn’t stop.
Her hands gripped his shoulders as she kissed him back.
For a moment—
She wasn’t Lily.
She wasn’t the girl with a mission.
She was just… someone who didn’t want him to disappear.
The pain from his wound pressed against her, reminding her how close she came to losing him.
And she kissed him harder.
The kiss broke suddenly.
Both of them breathing fast.
Adrian stared at her like he didn’t recognize himself anymore.
“Go,” he said, his voice shaking slightly. “Finish… and go.”
She nodded.
Her hands finally trembling for real.
She finished the stitches quickly this time.
Messy.
Not like her usual.
She packed everything without looking at him.
“Goodnight,” she whispered.
And then she left.
Fast.
Almost running.
She didn’t stop until she reached her room.
The door shut behind her.
She slid down to the floor, her back hitting the wood.
Her hands were still shaking.
She looked at them.
These same hands…
Had done things she could never undo.
But tonight—
They held him together.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
She wiped it quickly.
But more followed.
Her breathing felt uneven.
Heavy.
She touched her lips.
Still warm.
Still remembering him.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen…” she whispered.
The mission.
Her father.
Her revenge.
All still there.
Nothing had changed.
And yet—
Everything had.
Because now…
There was something else.
Something dangerous.
Something she didn’t plan for.
Him.
Outside, thunder cracked loudly.
At the same time—
A soft click echoed in the room.
Lily froze.
Her head snapped toward the door.
It was locked.
She was sure of it.
Another sound.
Slow.
Deliberate footsteps.
Not outside.
Inside.
Her breath stopped.
She slowly turned—
And her eyes widened.
A shadow stood near the window.
Watching her.
“Seems like,” a low voice said calmly, “you’re getting distracted, Queen.”
Her heart dropped.
That voice.
She knew it.
And that meant only one thing—
Her secret…
Was no longer safe.
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