Safe Between Monsters

CHAPTER 14

WINTER POV

The house was finally quiet.

Not the heavy, suffocating silence from before.

This one felt… fragile.

Like everything could shatter again with the wrong move.

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my hands.

They weren’t shaking anymore.

That scared me more than anything.

A soft knock came at the door.

“Winter?” Luca.

Of course it was him.

“Come in.”

He stepped inside slowly, like he was walking into something delicate.

“Can I check you over?” he asked gently.

“I’m fine.”

He didn’t argue.

Just raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. “Okay… maybe not completely fine.”

“Thought so.”

He moved closer, kneeling slightly in front of me. His fingers hovered near my arm first—giving me time to pull away.

I didn’t.

His touch was warm.

Careful.

Too careful for everything that had just happened.

“You’re bruising here,” he murmured, brushing lightly over my side.

I winced.

“Yeah… I felt that.”

“I’m not surprised.” His voice softened. “You took a hit.”

“I’ve had worse.”

His hand stilled.

That wasn’t something I meant to say out loud.

But it was true.

Luca’s eyes lifted to mine, something dark flickering behind the usual warmth.

“I know,” he said quietly.

Silence stretched between us.

Then his hand moved again—gentler this time, like he was grounding himself as much as me.

“You did really well,” he added.

“I didn’t feel like I did.”

“You stood your ground against him.” His thumb brushed just below my collarbone. “That’s not small, Winter.”

My chest tightened.

“I was terrified.”

“Courage isn’t the absence of fear,” he said softly. “It’s acting anyway.”

I let out a slow breath.

“You always sound like you rehearsed that.”

He smiled faintly. “I didn’t.”

“Liar.”

“Maybe a little.”

A small laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it.

It felt… strange.

Laughing after everything.

But also—

Necessary.

A knock came again.

Louder this time.

“Are you decent?” Kai’s voice.

I rolled my eyes. “Barely.”

He walked in anyway.

Of course he did.

Kai looked… rough.

Blood still smeared along his knuckles, a bruise forming along his jaw—but his eyes?

Sharp.

Focused.

Locked on me.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

He stepped closer, studying my face like he didn’t fully believe me.

“You fought him,” he said again, like he needed to confirm it.

“I did.”

His mouth twitched slightly.

“Not bad.”

“Not bad?” I raised a brow. “That’s all I get?”

“You want a medal?” he shot back.

“Maybe.”

He huffed a quiet laugh.

Then his expression shifted.

Serious again.

“He grabbed you,” Kai said, voice lower now.

I stiffened slightly.

“Yeah.”

His jaw tightened.

“He won’t do it again.”

Something about the way he said it—

Not hopeful.

Not reassuring.

Certain.

“Because you’ll stop him?” I asked.

Kai stepped closer.

Close enough that I had to tilt my head slightly to look up at him.

“No,” he said quietly.

“Because I’ll end him.”

The words sent a chill down my spine.

Not fear.

Something darker.

Something that matched the storm building in all of them.

Before I could respond—

The door opened again.

Dante.

Of course.

He didn’t knock.

He never knocked.

His presence filled the room instantly, heavy and controlled and dangerous in a way the others weren’t.

His eyes went straight to me.

Always.

“Everyone out,” he said.

Kai frowned. “What?”

“Out.”

It wasn’t louder.

But it was final.

Kai held his gaze for a second—

Then smirked slightly.

“Try not to scare her,” he muttered, brushing past Dante on his way out.

Luca lingered a moment longer.

“You sure?” he asked me quietly.

I nodded.

“I’m okay.”

He studied me for a second—

Then left.

The door closed.

And suddenly…

It was just me and Dante.

The air felt different.

He didn’t move right away.

Just stood there, watching me like he was trying to read something I wasn’t even aware of.

“You shouldn’t have stepped in,” he said finally.

I blinked. “What?”

“During the fight.”

My chest tightened.

“I wasn’t going to just stand there.”

“You could’ve gotten hurt.”

“I did get hurt.”

His jaw clenched.

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?” I shot back.

Silence.

Then—

He stepped closer.

Slow.

Measured.

“Control,” he said.

I frowned. “What?”

“You broke it.”

My breath caught slightly.

“Good,” I said.

Something flickered in his eyes.

Fast.

Dangerous.

“You don’t understand,” he said.

“Then explain it.”

Another step closer.

Now he was right in front of me.

Too close.

“You stepping in changed the dynamic,” he said quietly. “It made you part of the fight.”

“I already am part of this.”

“Yes,” he said.

Then his voice dropped.

“But there’s a difference between being involved… and being targeted.”

The words settled heavy in my chest.

“He already targets me,” I said softly.

Dante’s gaze darkened.

“Not like this.”

I held his stare.

“I’m not going to hide.”

“I’m not asking you to hide.”

“Then what are you asking?”

A pause.

Then—

His hand lifted.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Like he was giving me time to pull away.

I didn’t.

His fingers brushed my jaw.

Warm.

Steady.

Too intimate.

“I’m asking you to survive,” he said quietly.

My breath hitched.

“I am surviving.”

“Barely.”

The word stung.

I pulled back slightly.

“I’m doing better than you think.”

“I know you are,” he said immediately.

That threw me off.

“Then why—”

“Because I’ve seen what happens when people think they’re stronger than the threat.”

His voice changed.

Lower.

Darker.

More personal.

“They stop being careful.”

I swallowed.

“And then?”

His thumb brushed lightly against my cheek.

“And then they don’t get a second chance.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Loaded.

But I didn’t look away.

“I’m not them,” I said.

“No,” he agreed.

His gaze dropped—just for a second—to my lips.

Then back to my eyes.

“You’re worse.”

My breath caught.

“Worse?”

“Stronger,” he corrected quietly. “Which makes you more dangerous.”

The way he said it—

Wasn’t fear.

Wasn’t concern.

It was something else.

Something that made my pulse spike.

“Dangerous to who?” I asked softly.

A pause.

Then—

“To anyone who tries to take you.”

The air shifted again.

Sharp.

Charged.

Too much.

I should’ve stepped back.

I didn’t.

His hand was still on my face.

My heart was racing again.

Not from fear.

Not this time.

“Dante…” I started.

But I didn’t know what I was going to say.

And neither did he.

Because for a second—

Just a second—

He looked like he might close the distance.

Like he might—

A knock slammed against the door.

Hard.

“Problem.”

Kai’s voice.

Sharp.

Urgent.

The moment shattered instantly.

Dante stepped back.

Cold again.

Controlled.

“Come in.”

Kai pushed the door open, his expression darker than before.

“We’ve got movement,” he said.

“What kind of movement?” Dante asked.

Kai’s jaw tightened.

“Marcus just disappeared.”

My stomach dropped.

“What do you mean disappeared?”

Luca appeared behind him, already on his phone.

“All his accounts are going dark,” he said quickly. “Contacts, locations—everything’s wiped.”

Dante went still.

Dangerously still.

“He’s not running,” he said.

“No,” Luca agreed.

“He’s preparing.”

Kai’s eyes flicked to me.

“Or hunting.”

Silence fell.

Thick.

Heavy.

I felt it in my bones.

This wasn’t over.

Not even close.

Dante looked at me one last time.

And this time—

There was no softness left.

“Then we finish it first.”