Chapter 14
818 Words
A chill runs through me at his words, at the certainty with which he speaks, and I swallow hard. “You are looking for them already.”
“Yes,” he answers without hesitation. “As of the moment you arrived.”
The weight of that settles over me slowly, and my fingers curl into the fabric of my sweater. “Who are they,” I ask softly. “The men who took us. The ones who killed that delivery man. Why would they do something like this.”
Micheal’s jaw tightens almost imperceptibly, and for a moment I wonder if I have crossed a line, if I have asked something I am not supposed to know, but then he exhales slowly and answers.
“They belong to a rival family,” he says carefully. “One that has been testing boundaries for some time now. They are dangerous, ruthless, and opportunistic, and when they saw you with me last night, they believed they had found leverage.”
My stomach twists painfully. “Leverage,” I repeat. “You mean me.”
He does not deny it. “They thought that by taking you, they could provoke me. Force my hand. They underestimated how far I am willing to go to protect what is mine.”
The way he says that last word makes my pulse stutter, and I quickly look away, unsure how to process the warmth that spreads through my chest despite the fear.
“I never meant to cause any of this,” I say quietly. “If I had known who you were, I never would have kissed you. I never would have put Cassie or myself in danger.”
Micheal steps closer then, just enough that I can feel the heat of him beside me, and his voice drops slightly. “Rhea,” he says, firm but not unkind. “This is not your fault. Not in any way. The responsibility lies entirely with those who chose violence. Not with you for sharing a kiss.”
I bite my lip, my eyes stinging unexpectedly. “It feels like everything changed because of one moment.”
“Some moments do that,” he replies quietly. “They alter the course of things whether we are ready or not.”
I turn to face him again, searching his expression. “Should I be afraid,” I ask honestly. “Of them. Of what comes next.”
Micheal holds my gaze, unwavering, and something in his eyes steadies me despite the fear curling in my chest. “You should be cautious,” he says. “But you should not live in fear. I will not allow them to touch you again. I give you my word.”
There is something about the way he says it, not dramatic or loud, but absolute, that makes me believe him without question.
“And Cassie,” I add softly. “She is my family. I need to know she will be safe too.”
“She will be,” he assures me immediately. “Anyone under my roof is under my protection. That is not something I take lightly.”
I nod slowly, exhaling a breath I did not realize I was holding. “Thank you,” I say, and the words feel inadequate compared to everything he has done already. “For saving us. For bringing us here. For not treating us like we are disposable.”
His expression softens again, and for a brief moment something unguarded flickers across his face. “You were never disposable,” he says quietly.
The silence that follows is different now, warmer, charged with something unspoken, and I find myself thinking about the mistletoe, about his lips against mine, about how surreal it is that the same man now standing beside me has the power to command armies and dismantle enemies.
“I am sorry that your Christmas will not be what you imagined,” he says after a moment, his tone gentler than before.
I manage a small smile. “I think it already is,” I admit softly. “Just not in the way I expected.”
He studies me for a long moment, as if committing my face to memory, and then nods once. “Try to rest,” he says. “Tomorrow will be… a lot.”
As he turns to leave, my voice stops him before I can think better of it. “Micheal.”
He looks back at me, eyebrows lifting slightly in question.
“Thank you,” I repeat, this time meaning far more than the words can carry.
His gaze lingers on me, warm and unreadable all at once. “Goodnight, Rhea,” he says quietly. “You are safe.”
And as the door closes behind him, I realize that for the first time since everything fell apart, I almost believe it.
- Writer
