Silks and Bullets

Chapter 6: The Only Truth

Elena was shaking so hard she couldn't breathe. She backed away until her knees hit her desk, staring at the two dead bodies bleeding out onto her pristine white rug.

Julian dropped his gun, rushing over to her. He grabbed her by the shoulders, his hands frantic as he checked her over. "Elena! Elena, look at me.

Are you hurt? Did they touch you?"

"They... they were inside," she choked out, her eyes wide, staring at the blood on his shirt. "You killed them. You just... you killed them."

"They came to take you," Julian said, his voice raw, cracking with an emotion she had never heard from him before. He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Valenti bought off one of my guards. They bypassed the elevator. If I had been five minutes later... if I had lost you..."

He didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he pulled her into his chest, holding her so tightly she could barely draw breath. He was trembling. The ruthless, untouchable Don of New York was shaking in fear.

Elena closed her eyes, the terror suddenly melting away, replaced by a blinding, undeniable realization. He hadn't just married her to keep a rule. He had done it because the thought of a world without her terrified him. And she, despite the blood, the guns, and the lies, didn't want to leave him either.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "I'm okay," she whispered.

"I'm okay, Julian."

He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, his gaze desperate. "I tried to keep you out of this. I wanted your world to stay clean. I wanted to protect you from the dark."

Elena reached up, her fingers wiping a smudge of ash from his cheek. A fierce, newfound resolve settled in her chest.

"My world isn't clean anymore, Julian," she said softly, her eyes flashing with the same fire she had used to fight off her attackers. "But it's ours. So stop hiding the war from me. If we're going to fight the Valentis... let me design the armor."