Lovecraft

Chapter 13: Rainy Night Confessions

The storm returned that night.

Not the gentle rain of the past few days, but a proper tempest. Thunder shook the old house, lightning lit the windows in stark white flashes, and the wind howled through the eaves like something alive.

Mila couldn't sleep.

She found Kael in the study, a fire crackling in the hearth, a bottle of whiskey on the desk. He was sitting in the leather armchair, staring into the flames, a glass in his hand.

"Couldn't sleep either?" she asked.

He didn't look up. "Never could. Not during storms."

She sat on the floor by the fire, her back against his chair. Close enough to feel his warmth. After a moment, he shifted, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder.

"Tell me about Lena," she said softly.

His hand tightened, then relaxed. For a long moment, she thought he wouldn't answer.

"She was like you," he said finally. "Strong. Stubborn. Too brave for her own good." A pause. "I was working for Sokolov even then. Different job. Different target. Lena got caught in the middle. Volkov saw her. Wanted her. And I… I couldn't stop it."

"How did she die?"

The silence stretched. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.

"She died in my arms. In an alley. Just like Anna. Except I was there. I held her while she bled out, and I couldn't do anything. Couldn't save her. Couldn't even kill him—he was gone before I could move."

Mila turned, looking up at him. His face was ravaged with grief, the walls completely down.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He looked down at her, and something in his expression shifted. "You asked me why I'm helping you. Why I didn't deliver you to Volkov."

"Yes."

"It's because when you ran through my door, I saw her. Not just the resemblance. I saw the chance to do it right this time. To save someone. To not fail again." His voice cracked. "That's selfish. I know it's selfish. Using you to fix my past."

Mila reached up and touched his face. "It's not selfish to want to save someone."

"It is when you're doing it for yourself."

"Maybe." She stood, moving to sit on his lap, straddling him in the chair. He looked up at her, surprised. "But I don't care why you started. I care why you stayed."

His hands found her hips. "Why do you think I stayed?"

"Because you feel this." She took his hand and placed it over her heart. "The same way I do."

The fire crackled. The storm raged. And Kael kissed her like she was the only thing keeping him from drowning.