CHAPTER 14:THE WAY HE SAID STAY
1133 Words
“But you don’t.”
The words stayed suspended between them like something dangerous enough to destroy both of them.
Elara stood frozen in the dim hallway of the warehouse safe house, staring up at Anik while her heartbeat pounded violently against her ribs.
Rain battered the windows somewhere deeper inside the building.
Distant thunder rolled through the harbor.
But none of it mattered.
Not when he was looking at her like that.
God.
That look.
Dark.
Intense.
Almost desperate beneath the control he fought so hard to maintain.
Anik’s eyes stayed locked on hers for several endless seconds.
Neither moved.
Neither breathed properly.
And suddenly the space between them felt painfully small.
“You should answer me,” he said quietly.
Elara swallowed hard.
“What exactly do you want me to say?”
“The truth.”
His voice lowered further.
“Tell me you hate me now.”
The challenge in his tone felt wrong somehow.
Not arrogant.
Fearful.
Like part of him genuinely expected her to finally walk away.
And maybe she should have.
Maybe any sane woman would.
But standing here now—
After blood and betrayal and violence—
All she could think about was the way he threw himself in front of a bullet for her.
The way he kept choosing her over himself.
Over and over again.
That realization hurt.
Because it made leaving impossible.
Anik noticed her silence instantly.
His jaw tightened slightly.
“That’s what I thought.”
The quiet bitterness in his voice snapped something inside her.
“You don’t get to decide how I feel.”
His eyes sharpened immediately.
“Elara—”
“No.”
She stepped closer before fear could stop her.
“You lied to me.”
Pain flickered across his face.
“You hid things from me.”
Another step.
“You terrified me tonight.”
Now they were inches apart again.
Too close.
Dangerously close.
“But none of that changes the fact that you protected me.”
Silence crashed between them.
Anik stared at her like she’d said something impossible.
“Elara…”
“You got shot for me.”
The raw emotion in her voice hit him hard enough to show.
His breathing shifted instantly.
Slower.
Heavier.
“You think that changes anything?”
“Yes.”
The answer came immediately.
Without hesitation.
Because it did change everything.
Anik looked away sharply like he couldn’t handle hearing that from her.
“You don’t understand what I am.”
The quiet darkness in his tone tightened around her chest.
“Then explain it to me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
His eyes returned to hers.
And suddenly the exhaustion behind them looked unbearable.
“Because the more you know about me…”
His voice lowered dangerously.
“…the harder it becomes for you to leave.”
Heat rushed through her chest instantly.
Because beneath the warning—
She heard the truth.
He didn’t want her to leave.
Not really.
Not even close.
That realization changed the atmosphere immediately.
The tension between them thickened.
Heavy.
Electric.
Anik’s gaze dropped briefly to her lips again before he forced himself to look away.
Like touching her was becoming physically difficult to resist.
“Elara.”
Her pulse stumbled.
“What?”
“You need sleep.”
A soft laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
“That’s your solution?”
“It’s the only one keeping me from making another mistake tonight.”
The honesty in his voice sent heat rushing through her instantly.
Another mistake.
Not mistake.
Mistake.
Singular.
Meaning he was thinking about one thing specifically.
Kissing her.
The realization hit hard enough to steal her breath.
Anik noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
“You see the problem now?”
God.
The way he said that—
Low.
Rough.
Dangerously intimate.
Elara’s heart raced harder.
“You keep acting like you’re the only one affected by this.”
Silence.
Anik went completely still.
“What did you just say?”
Big mistake.
Very big mistake.
Because suddenly all of his attention sharpened entirely onto her.
No distractions.
No restraint.
Only her.
Elara should’ve stepped back.
Instead—
She whispered:
“I’m tired too, Anik.”
The confession destroyed whatever control remained in the room.
His breathing changed instantly.
And the look in his eyes—
Pure temptation.
Dangerous enough to ruin her completely.
Anik moved before thinking better of it.
One hand landed against the wall beside her head while the other settled carefully against her waist.
Warm.
Protective.
Possessive.
Elara inhaled sharply.
Now there was absolutely no distance left between them.
“You need to stop saying things like that.”
His voice sounded wrecked now.
Not cold.
Not controlled.
Wrecked.
“Why?”
“Because I’m trying very hard to be careful with you.”
The confession wrapped around her chest like fire.
Elara looked up at him slowly.
“And what if I don’t want careful?”
God.
Wrong answer.
Very wrong.
Because the restraint inside Anik finally cracked visibly.
His forehead lowered against hers roughly as a quiet curse left his mouth.
“You’re making this impossible.”
Every breath between them suddenly felt intimate.
Dangerously intimate.
Elara’s fingers tightened slightly against the fabric of his shirt.
Then immediately stilled when he sucked in a sharp breath.
His wound.
She’d forgotten.
Anik noticed her expression shift instantly.
“It’s nothing.”
“You’re hurt.”
“I’ve survived worse.”
“That’s not comforting.”
A faint smile almost touched his mouth.
Almost.
“You’re still here.”
The quiet disbelief in his tone hurt unexpectedly.
Like part of him truly believed she’d leave after learning who he was.
Elara’s chest tightened.
“I don’t know how to leave you.”
The truth escaped before she could stop it.
Silence followed immediately.
Then something dark and emotional passed through Anik’s expression so quickly it almost looked painful.
“Elara…”
The way he said her name this time nearly destroyed her.
Like it meant too much now.
Too much to survive.
And maybe it did.
Anik stared at her for several long seconds before finally whispering:
“Stay.”
One word.
That was all it took.
Because the way he said it—
Quiet.
Raw.
Almost vulnerable—
Made it impossible to refuse.
Then suddenly—
A loud explosion shook the entire building.
Both of them jerked apart instantly.
Alarms screamed throughout the warehouse again.
Anik’s expression turned deadly in a second.
One of the guards shouted from downstairs:
“Sir! They breached the east entrance!”
Anik grabbed Elara’s wrist immediately.
And the terrifying part?
Even now—
Even with danger crashing toward them—
His first instinct was still her.
“Stay behind me.”
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