Chapter 16: The Promise
902 Words
Teri’s POV – Unraveling
She should have been relieved.
She was alive.
The nightmare was over.
And yet—
She couldn’t breathe.
The second they were out of the warehouse, away from the bodies and the blood, away from the men who had held her captive, broken her, tried to take her away from him—
The weight of it all slammed into her.
She had been taken. Beaten. Left to rot in some godforsaken prison while Raf—
Raf had burned the world down to get her back.
And now?
Now, he was watching her.
Like he knew.
Like he could feel her unraveling, even if she wouldn’t let herself break.
“Teri.”
His voice was rough. A command, a plea.
Her name on his lips should have grounded her.
Instead, it only made it worse.
She exhaled sharply.
“You shouldn’t have come for me.”
Silence.
Heavy. Lethal.
Then—
Raf’s green eyes flashed with something dark.
Something dangerous.
Something furious.
“That,” he said, voice low, firm, unyielding, “is the dumbest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Teri clenched her jaw.
“I mean it, Raf.” She crossed her arms over her chest, steeling herself against the way he looked at her. “You shouldn’t have risked your life for me.”
His expression hardened.
His body tensed.
And in the span of a single heartbeat, he was in front of her.
Fast. Unstoppable.
His heat, his presence, overwhelming her like a storm she couldn’t escape.
“You think I had a choice?” he murmured.
Teri swallowed.
“You did,” she said, voice quieter now.
“No,” he said simply. “I didn’t.”
His fingers brushed over her wrist.
She flinched.
Not from pain.
From the way her body reacted to him.
Because despite everything—despite what she had just been through, despite what she had just learned about him—
She still wanted him.
And that?
That was dangerous.
She took a step back.
His grip tightened.
“Let go,” she said, forcing herself to meet his eyes.
His jaw ticked.
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do.”
Liar.
Because even as the words left her lips, her pulse pounded.
Her body was traitorous, craving something it had no business craving.
Raf exhaled, long and slow, like he was trying not to snap.
Not to take.
Not to claim.
“You want space?” he asked, voice like cut steel. “You want me to walk away? Fine.”
He let go of her wrist.
And then—before she could blink—
He gripped her chin.
Not gentle.
Not soft.
Possessive. Commanding. Claiming.
“Look at me,” he ordered.
She did.
Because there was no escaping him.
Not then.
Not now.
Not ever.
His thumb brushed over her bruised lip, the touch featherlight, almost reverent—
A contradiction to the storm raging in his eyes.
“You think I regret coming for you?” he rasped.
Teri’s breath caught.
He leaned in, his grip unchanging. Unshakable.
His forehead pressed against hers, his breathing ragged, uneven.
“Let me make something clear to you, bella,” he murmured, voice dark, edged with something fierce.
Something undeniable.
“I would burn the world a thousand times over to keep you safe.”
Teri shuddered.
His fingers slid down, trailing over her pulse point, pressing there.
Feeling it race for him.
Because it always did.
His free hand curled around her hip, pulling her flush against him.
“You are mine,” he said. “Do you understand that?”
Her stomach twisted, her breath shaking.
She should push him away.
She should fight.
She should—
“Say it.” His voice was gravel and sin.
She couldn’t.
Because she did.
She understood.
Her fingers curled into his shirt, her resolve cracking.
Still, she whispered, “You can’t keep me.”
His grip tightened.
And then—he kissed her.
Not soft.
Not sweet.
Raw. Bruising. Devouring.
Like he was staking his claim, like he was proving a point.
Like she was his oxygen, and he was drowning without her.
Teri gasped into his mouth, the sound breaking.
Because it was too much.
Too wild.
Too undeniable.
His hands dug into her hips, dragging her closer, swallowing every breath, every sound, every damn argument she had left.
When he finally—finally—pulled away, his forehead was still against hers.
His breathing was ragged.
His hands still held her like he wasn’t letting go.
Ever.
“You can tell yourself whatever you want, bella,” he murmured, his voice softer now, but no less lethal.
But then his lips brushed her jaw, trailing lower, leaving a path of fire in their wake.
“But I don’t let go of what’s mine.”
A shiver ran down her spine.
Teri squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the way her body betrayed her.
Fighting the way she wanted to believe him.
And then—
His fingers curled under her chin, tilting her face up to his.
“Look at me,” he ordered again.
She did.
Because there was never a choice.
Not with him.
Raf’s gaze burned into hers.
“You’re not walking away from me.”
It wasn’t a question.
It was a vow.
And Teri?
She didn’t fight it.
Not this time.
- Writer
