ASHES OF OBSESSION

CHAPTER 6

Elena

The scent of coffee hit me before I even opened my eyes.

For a second, I didn’t move. I stayed wrapped in the unfamiliar softness of expensive sheets, trying to make sense of where I was. The room was warm, far too quiet, and way too large to be mine.

Then it hit me.

Ronan Kane.

My eyes snapped open, heart pounding. I was still in his house. Not because I wanted to be, but because I’d insisted on confronting him last night and somehow ended up too shaken, too tired to go home. Or maybe he never really gave me a choice.

I sat up slowly, the silken comforter pooling around my waist. I was still in my clothes from the night before, wrinkled, creased, and clinging to the tension that hadn’t fully left me. My jacket had been draped over the armchair. A bottle of water and some aspirin waited neatly on the nightstand.

Of course he would think of everything.

Control disguised as kindness.

The low murmur of voices carried from somewhere downstairs. I slipped out of bed, straightened my clothes, and stepped into the hallway. The house was modern and intimidating, with steel fixtures and dark wood, masculine, cold, but beautiful in a way that matched Ronan himself.

I followed the scent of coffee and found the kitchen. Declan sat at the counter reading something on his phone, a mug in hand. He looked up when I entered.

“You're awake,” he said, arching a brow.

“Where’s Ronan?” I asked, trying to sound steady.

“Out back.” He nodded toward the tall glass doors leading to a wide terrace. “He’s been up since before dawn. Don’t know how the man does it.”

I didn’t respond. I crossed the kitchen and stepped outside.

The backyard looked more like a private estate than a normal garden. There were manicured hedges, a stone path, and a sleek patio with black iron furniture. And there he was, Ronan Kane, leaning against the railing, shirt sleeves rolled up, a black coffee in one hand, the early morning sun catching the sharp lines of his face.

He didn’t turn when I stepped outside. “Sleep well?”

I crossed my arms. “You know, for being under surveillance, sure.”

That finally got his attention. He glanced at me, something unreadable passing through his eyes. “If I wanted to keep you under surveillance, Elena, you wouldn’t know it.”

I ignored the chill that ran down my spine. “That’s not comforting.”

He turned fully then, studying me in that way that made me feel like he saw straight through skin and bone. “You stayed.”

“I didn’t stay,” I snapped. “I didn’t want to go home with your people still watching me and Damien lurking around like a ghost.”

“And yet, you slept in my bed.”

“I slept in a room in your house. Don’t flatter yourself.”

He chuckled softly. “Defiant first thing in the morning. I like that.”

I stepped closer, eyes narrowing. “What do you want from me, Ronan?”

A long silence followed. Then he said, “I want to know why a woman who clearly knows how to fight still shakes when she hears her ex’s name. I want to know what he did to you that left you looking over your shoulder, afraid of shadows. And I want to know why, when you walked into that club, you looked like you were ready to burn the world down… until he showed up.”

I swallowed hard. “That’s not your business.”

“It is now.”

“No. You decided it was.”

He stepped closer, his tone quiet but firm. “I’ve seen women try to fake strength. That’s not you. You are strong. But you’re bleeding underneath it. And I don’t like the idea of someone like Damien still having a hold on you.”

My heart twisted. “So what, now you’re my savior?”

He didn’t smile. “No. I’m not a savior. I’m a storm. And right now, I’m the only one standing between you and a man who’d love to see you break.”

That truth settled between us, heavy and undeniable.

I hated that he was right.

I hated that a part of me wanted the protection he offered.

And most of all, I hated that despite every wall I’d built, Ronan Kane was already finding his way through.

“I don’t trust you,” I whispered.

He stepped even closer, his eyes darkening. “Good. That makes two of us.”

Then he turned and walked past me, brushing my shoulder with his as he went.

And just like that, the balance of power between us shifted again.

By late afternoon, I was still at Ronan’s place, though “place” didn’t do it justice. His home was a fortress disguised as luxury, and every hallway I walked down made me feel more like a prisoner than a guest.

I’d found the library earlier,floor to ceiling shelves, worn leather armchairs, and a view of the city that could make anyone forget they were trapped.

I sat curled in one of the chairs, pretending to read, but I hadn’t turned a page in fifteen minutes. My mind kept drifting back to the morning. To Ronan’s voice. His eyes. His calm, terrifying certainty that he was the only one standing between me and Damien.

I hated how true it felt.

The door creaked behind me, and I stiffened. Ronan didn’t knock, he never did.

But it wasn’t him.

It was Declan.

He leaned against the doorframe, watching me with a look that was a little too perceptive. “He’s not usually this bad,” he said after a beat.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Ronan. With women. He doesn’t usually… obsess.”

I closed the book. “So this is obsession now?”

He shrugged. “You haven’t noticed?”

I stood up. “Look, I didn’t ask to be here. He inserted himself into my life, not the other way around.”

“Yeah, well… that’s what he does. He sees something he wants, he takes it. That’s how he built all this.” Declan gestured around the room, then fixed me with a level stare. “Just be careful, Elena. He protects what’s his. But if you ever try to leave him, really leave, he won’t make it easy.”

A slow chill crept down my spine. “Thanks for the warning.”

Declan nodded once and walked away.

---

I didn’t see Ronan again until after sunset.

He found me in the guest room, staring out the window at the long driveway below. He leaned against the doorframe like he owned the air I was breathing.

“Come with me,” he said.

I turned. “Where?”

He didn’t answer. Just waited.

Against my better judgment, I followed him.

We drove in silence. Not to one of his clubs, not to the city, but further out, down winding roads until the lights disappeared and the stars bled into the sky.

The car finally stopped at a gated overlook, quiet and empty. From here, the entire city stretched below us, a sea of gold and black.

“This is where I come when I need to remember I’m still human,” Ronan said, stepping out of the car.

I stayed seated, arms crossed. “That happen often?”

He smirked faintly. “Not really.”