Yearning for Her

Chapter Four

Ava’s POV

“Ava, you really have to believe me.”

Pulling me close, Killian's voice is almost above a whisper; his hands grab my arms with an intensity that slices through the tension in the air. His eyes darted about, a fire burning there that I can not quite make sense of. This is not what you believe it to be. You did not find me the man you expected.

My pulse pounding in my ears, I can feel the quick beat of my heart on my chest. Though everything inside me cries for escape, his words strike me like a blow to the chest and cause me to stop breathing. "Then who are you, Killian??" My voice quakes yet it is stubborn. "Because I cannot identify the man now in front of me."

His expression softens, a flutter of guilt flashing in his eyes. "Ava, you have no need to understand. Not right now. Yet you will. I promise.”

His comments carry the weight of years of history and shared memories as well as promises. I find it difficult to believe them though. not yet. Not following events as they have occurred. But the way he treats me and looks at me suggests he is not merely attempting to persuade me with words. He is trying to evoke faith in me, something I have not let myself experience in so long.

But can I once more rely on him?

Trapped between the man I used to love and the man he has grown to be, I stand there. Even as my thinking cries for caution, the heat of his body on mine is drawing me in—familiar, sedative—everything about him.

The silence is broken by footfall, harsh and merciless, and the moment shatters. Breath stopping in my throat, I glance over to the doorway.

Someone walks into the room—dark, strong, and definitely recognizable. That same man was keeping me captive not too long ago. The one with the twisted smile and chilly eyes.

The man , his eyes darting from me to Killian, "I see you have made your choice, Cross." But it makes no difference. You already belong too far past.

Though Killian's body is stiff as he faces the man and his posture is defensive, I know it's not enough. I can feel his muscles tight next to me. Not in the current state of affairs. “What the devil do you want, Jared?” Killian speaks steadily, but there's a flutter of something darker there—perhaps resentment. Or anxiety? Though I'm not sure, it makes me shiver to the very bone.

"You are deeper than you know, Killian," Jared adds, his smile strained. "You get to rest on your bed after making it. For both of you. He advances, his eyes fix on me like a predator weighing up his target. "I warned you, Ava. You ought to have avoided him.”

Though I resist showing weakness, the words hit me like a slap. I refuse to let him understand how stingy his remarks are. With a trembling but forceful voice, "I'm not scared of you, Jared," I say. "Not anymore.”

The hand of Killian embraces mine, his fingers firm and uncompromising. "Ava, get behind me," he urges, his cool voice betraying the danger in his eyes. "Now."

I pause for a split second, then I leap when Jared's voice once more fills the room. Ava, hardly consider it at all. You are already delving too deeply.

His eyes go back to Killian and show a chilly glitter. "You are aware I have to kill her, right? She causes liability. And you will do exactly what I advise if you want her to live. No questions asked”.

My breath freezes and panic floods through me. Killian's hold on me gets tighter, yet right now he seems to be cold—something dangerous, calculated. He is not the man I knew, and that knowledge causes my stomach to turn in an incomprehensible manner.

"You don't get to establish the rules anymore, Jared,” Killian says, his voice low and vicious. “You do not own me. Not anymore.”

Jared chuckles, the sound resonating across the space off the walls. Cross, you believe you have escaped me? You truly believe that? Whether you like it or not, you remain mine”

The air is tense and Killian's gaze on me causes my heart to skip despite it all. Something between us, something unspoken, hangs unsolved. His eyes flutter down to my lips, and I briefly believe he might kiss me. The moment is broken, though, as Jared moves forward, causing the tension to once more rise thick and oppressive.

"Stop THIS!" I say, my voice getting higher. “Killian, I am not your pawn. And I am not his either.”

He fixed me, a flutter of something soft in his eyes. "I'm not trying to manipulate, Ava. But there are things you know not about which I cannot explain. Not Yet.”

I back off, my hand falling out of his. The gap separating us seems like a gulf these days, one I'm not sure I could cross. "Then, Killian, what the hell am I supposed to do? Just stand here and wait for you to work things out?”

He was silent. And in that moment I feel the weight of everything—the lies, the betrayals, the love still simmering beneath the surface—and I know I cannot continue to do this.

The sound of gunfire loud and deafening breaks out just as I am opening my mouth to talk. The planet slants, and I sense the air leaving my lungs as anarchy fills the room. Turning to find Jared collapsing, blood is pooling under him. Breath freezes in my throat as I stare at Killian—his hand still smoking.

"What the hell exactly happened?" My heart beating, I gasp as the truth of what I have just seen sets in.

As Killian lowers the rifle, his eyes flutter to mine then back to the already dead figure of Jared; his countenance is unreadable. His voice low and almost remorseful, he replies, "I told you, Ava. I am not who you believe I am."

Nothing comes to me to say. Frozen, I find it difficult to understand what just occurred. Fear, uncertainty, wrath, and yes, still, a flutter of something else whirls in my head. Something that is hard to overlook.

But the planet does not pause for humans to work out problems. Its path continues. And hence to do the dangers.

I turn to face the door, the weighty thump of feet resonating down the hall. Someone else is scheduled to visit. Someone worse.

"We have little time," Killian says, sounding urgent. “Prepare now.”

And everything shifts once more exactly like that.

The door bursts open, and once more the air moves through. Now the steps are deliberate, heavier, as though the person approaching knows just what is waiting for them on the other side. Every nerve in my body cries for safety as my heart races and I find myself backing into the corner. But there is nowhere to sprint.

“Did you not believe it was over?” Though Killian's voice is subdued, I can't overlook the steely edge to it. His eyes darted to me, his jaw clenched as he held the rifle in his hand as though it were the only thing holding him from spiraling apart.

As the figure enters the room, the words die in my throat even as I open my mouth to speak.

Though I have never seen him before, the towering, shadowy man that shows up in the doorway tells me this is not your typical individual from his icy eyes. He emanates danger in waves.

"You should have stayed out of this, Cross," the man continues, his voice like gravel, thick and threatening. His eyes darted from Killian to me then back to Killian with a cold, calculated glance. Now, though, you have made matters personal.

Like a storm just before it breaks, I can sense the strain mounting. Killian does not move; his hold on the gun gets tighter. “Who the hell are you?” Though his speech is cool and controlled, I can sense the thread of wrath just under surface level.

Although the man's lips twist into a slight smile, it is not humorous. It's the smirk of someone who loves to see others squirm, someone who knows exactly what's next. “Let's just say I'm the one going to do what Jared couldn't”.

I am not able to breathe. My head races to put together what is happening. "Killian," I say, my voice hardly audible. “Who is he?”

But Killian doesn't reply. He doesn't need to. The manner his shoulders tense and his eyes narrow... I know he identifies with this individual. And whatever their past together is plenty to make him deadly. For each other as well.

The man moves forward suddenly, his hand on his waist. My pulse thrashing in my ears, I get ready for whatever comes next. "This is the end of the line, Cross," he adds, his finality chilling me down on my spine.

I try to reach for Killian, try to move, but before I can get going, the man pulls out a little gadget from his pocket. Its flickering light sends something icy down my veins. He says, a last warning before the gadget clicks, "You should've stayed out of my way."

Everything inside of me freezes.

Then nothing. The planet turns dark.