Safe Between Monsters

CHAPTER 7

WINTER POV

The house didn’t feel like a house anymore.

It felt like a war zone.

Men in black uniforms moved through every room, speaking into radios, checking windows, securing doors. The shattered front entrance was being boarded up, wood slamming into place with sharp, echoing cracks.

Every sound made my body flinch.

I stood in the middle of the living room, arms wrapped tightly around myself, trying to breathe through the adrenaline still flooding my veins.

Marcus had been here.

He’d stood exactly where I was standing.

He’d looked at me like—

“Winter.”

Dante’s voice cut through my thoughts. Calm. Controlled. But underneath it… something darker.

I turned.

He stood a few feet away, jacket off now, sleeves rolled up, a faint bruise forming along his ribs where Marcus had hit him. Luca was speaking quietly to one of the security men near the door, while Kai leaned against the wall, jaw tight, eyes still burning with leftover violence.

They were all watching me.

Not like prey.

Like something fragile they were trying not to break.

“I need you to come with me,” Dante said.

My stomach tightened. “Why?”

His gaze didn’t waver. “Because we’re not having this conversation in the middle of a crime scene.”

Conversation.

That didn’t sound good.

I hesitated.

Kai noticed immediately. He pushed off the wall and stepped closer, not crowding me, just… there.

“We’re not mad at you,” he said, softer than I expected.

I let out a shaky breath. “It doesn’t feel like that.”

Luca glanced over his shoulder. “That’s because everything just went to hell in under five minutes.”

Dante’s eyes stayed locked on mine. “Winter. Now.”

It wasn’t loud.

But it wasn’t a request either.

Something in me bristled.

Something else… listened.

I followed him.

His office was the complete opposite of the chaos outside.

Dark wood. Clean lines. Order.

Control.

The door shut behind us with a quiet click that somehow felt louder than the gunshot earlier.

I stayed near the door.

Dante walked to his desk, poured himself a drink, then paused—glass halfway to his lips.

“…Do you want one?” he asked without turning.

The question caught me off guard.

“No.”

He nodded once and set the glass down untouched.

Silence stretched between us.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

“You disobeyed me,” he said finally.

My head snapped up. “Excuse me?”

“I told you to stay behind me.” His voice was calm again, but sharper now. “You stepped forward anyway.”

Anger flared, cutting through the fear. “He was talking to me.”

“He was baiting you.”

“And I didn’t take it,” I shot back. “I said no.”

Dante turned then.

Fully.

And the look in his eyes made my breath hitch.

“That wasn’t the point.”

“Then what was the point?” My voice rose. “That I should hide every time he shows up? That I should just stand there while you all handle it like I’m not even part of this?”

“You’re not part of the fight,” he snapped.

“Yes, I am!” My hands were shaking again, but I didn’t stop. “He’s coming for me! This isn’t just your problem!”

“It is now,” Dante said coldly. “Because you’re under my roof.”

“There it is,” I whispered. “Control.”

His jaw clenched.

“Protection,” he corrected.

“That’s what Marcus said too.”

The words hung in the air like a blade.

Dante went very still.

For a second, I thought I’d gone too far.

Then he moved.

Fast.

Not toward me—but past me.

He braced one hand against the door, the other dragging through his hair like he was physically holding himself back.

“I am nothing like him,” he said quietly.

I swallowed. “Then don’t treat me like I don’t have a choice.”

Silence.

Then—

“You walked toward a man with a gun,” Dante said, turning back slowly. “Do you understand what that did to me?”

That… wasn’t what I expected.

I frowned. “What?”

His eyes locked onto mine again, but this time there was something raw underneath the control.

“Do you understand,” he repeated, voice lower now, “what it feels like to watch someone under your protection walk straight into danger like that?”

“I wasn’t trying to—”

“I know,” he cut in. “That’s the problem.”

My chest tightened.

“You don’t see the risk the way we do,” he continued. “You don’t see how quickly that could’ve ended differently.”

“I do,” I whispered. “I just… I needed to say it.”

His expression shifted slightly. “Say what?”

“That I’m not his.”

The words came out stronger this time.

Real.

Something flickered in Dante’s eyes.

Not anger.

Something else.

He stepped closer—but slower now.

Measured.

“And you think I don’t know that?” he asked.

“I think you don’t trust me to handle it.”

“I don’t,” he said immediately.

I blinked.

Well. At least he was honest.

“Wow.”

“You’re not trained,” he continued. “You’re traumatized, and you’re still reacting emotionally to him. That’s not an insult—it’s reality.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m helpless.”

“No,” he agreed quietly. “It means you’re not ready.”

That stung more than I expected.

I looked away.

“I escaped him,” I said. “On my own.”

“I know,” Dante said. “And that’s exactly why you’re still here.”

My throat tightened.

He stepped closer again.

This time, I didn’t move back.

“But surviving something like that doesn’t mean you should have to do it again,” he added.

The words hit differently.

Softer.

Dangerous in a different way.

“I don’t want to be locked in another cage,” I said quietly.

“You’re not in a cage.”

“It feels like one.”

Dante exhaled slowly.

Then—unexpectedly—he took another step back.

Space.

He gave me space.

“Then we fix that,” he said.

I frowned. “Fix… what?”

“The balance,” he replied. “Between your freedom and your safety.”

I studied him carefully. “That sounds like control with better wording.”

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “It sounds like compromise.”

I didn’t trust that word coming from him.

But… I didn’t reject it either.

A knock came at the door.

Kai’s voice. “We good?”

Dante didn’t look away from me. “Give us a minute.”

Silence again.

Then—

“I’m going to train you,” he said.

I blinked. “Kai already said that.”

“Not just physically,” Dante clarified. “Mentally. Strategically. If you want to stand your ground against Marcus, you need to understand how he thinks.”

“And you do?” I asked.

Dante’s eyes darkened.

“Yes.”

Something about the way he said that made my stomach twist.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.

“Not today.”

“Dante—”

“Not today,” he repeated, firmer this time.

Frustration bubbled up, but before I could push—

The door opened anyway.

Kai walked in like rules didn’t apply to him, Luca right behind him.

“Security sweep’s done,” Luca said. “House is clear.”

Kai’s gaze moved between us. “You two done arguing or should I grab popcorn?”

I shot him a look.

He grinned.

Dante straightened slightly. “We’re done.”

“Good,” Kai said. “Because we have a bigger problem.”

My stomach dropped.

“What now?”

Luca held up a phone.

“Marcus didn’t come alone.”

The room went cold.

“There’s a second vehicle,” he continued. “Parked two streets away. Tinted windows. Engine’s been running the whole time.”

“Backup?” I whispered.

“Or insurance,” Dante said grimly.

Kai cracked his knuckles again, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“Good,” he said. “I was hoping he’d make this interesting.”

I stared at them.

At all three of them.

This wasn’t over.

Not even close.

And for the first time…

I wasn’t just caught in the middle.

I was part of the fight now.

“Tell me what to do,” I said quietly.

All three of them looked at me.

This time—

Not like something fragile.

Something… else.

Dante nodded once.

“Stay close,” he said.

Kai smirked. “Real close.”

Luca’s eyes softened—but there was steel underneath now.

“Welcome to the war, Winter.”

And somehow…

That scared me less than running ever did.