Blackfall: No More Restraint

You Came Back

Chapter 7

Elara Finch woke the next morning with the deeply unpleasant realization that she had smiled in her sleep. She knew this because the first thing she remembered upon opening her eyes was Kael standing beneath the rain, one hand resting at her waist, his voice low beside her ear, and the warmth of his lips against her neck. The second thing she remembered was the fact that he had told her he would come back, as though that were a promise rather than a casual statement, and the third was the significantly less romantic memory of a black vehicle being held several feet above the street by an angry man who could apparently turn gravity itself into a weapon. She stared at her ceiling for several seconds. "This is ridiculous." Her ceiling, having never met Blackfall, wisely offered no opinion. Elara rolled onto her side, pulled the blanket over her head, and tried to think about literally anything else. She thought about work. She thought about breakfast. She thought about whether she had enough clean laundry. She thought about the fact that she had forgotten to buy toothpaste. She thought about the weather. Then her brain betrayed her completely and supplied the image of Kael leaning toward her, his eyes dark, his voice quiet, his thumb brushing her cheek. She groaned into the pillow. "I hate this." Another pause. "I don't hate this." She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. "That's worse."

By the time she reached the café, she had managed to convince herself that she was perfectly normal again. She had showered, dressed, fixed her hair, drank coffee at a responsible speed rather than inhaling it, and even managed to walk three entire blocks without checking behind her for suspicious vehicles. She considered that progress. Then she opened the café door and found Daniel standing behind the counter with an expression that immediately told her he had been waiting for this moment. He didn't even say anything. He simply looked at her, looked at the clock, then looked at the empty chair in the corner where Kael had sat the previous morning. Elara narrowed her eyes. "Don't." Daniel raised both hands. "I haven't said a word." "Your face is saying enough." "My face is naturally expressive." "Your face is naturally annoying." "And yet you continue to work with me." Elara hung her coat behind the counter. "Unfortunately." Daniel watched her for another moment. "So." "No." "He kissed you." Elara nearly dropped the stack of napkins in her hands. "What?" Daniel's grin widened. "I didn't say anything about Blackfall." "You absolutely did." "I said he kissed you." "How would you know that?" Daniel shrugged. "You have the expression of someone who has been kissed." "There is an expression for that?" "There is now." Elara stared at him. "You are unbearable." "So that's a yes?" "No." "That's also a yes." She turned away before he could see the smile forming on her face. Unfortunately, Daniel had apparently decided to dedicate the rest of the morning to tormenting her. Every time the café door opened, his eyes flicked toward her. Every time Elara glanced at the clock, he smiled. At one point she finally threw a dish towel at him. "If you keep doing that, I'm going to tell everyone about the time you cried during that dog movie." Daniel caught the towel. "That dog died." "It was a cartoon." "That doesn't make it less tragic." Elara laughed despite herself, and for a few minutes, everything felt normal again. The city outside was still dangerous. The Vanguard was still probably looking for Kael. Someone was still apparently trying to use her to get to him. But inside the café, surrounded by coffee, pastries, and Daniel's terrible jokes, she could almost pretend her life hadn't changed.

Then the bell above the door rang.

Elara looked up.

Her heart stopped.

Kael walked inside.

He looked exactly as he had the previous morning, except for one small difference. There was no blood on him, no torn clothing, no trace of the confrontation from last night. He looked composed, almost relaxed, wearing a dark jacket over a charcoal shirt with his hands tucked casually into his pockets. The morning light from the windows caught the edge of his face, making his eyes appear even darker than she remembered. He paused just inside the door. His gaze found hers immediately. There was something about that look that made the entire café disappear for half a second. Elara suddenly became painfully aware of Daniel standing beside her. Daniel looked at Kael. Then at Elara. Then back at Kael. "Morning," he said carefully. Kael nodded. "Morning." Daniel glanced at Elara. "I'll be in the back." "Coward," she whispered. "Survivor," he corrected before disappearing.

Kael approached the counter. Elara tried to behave normally. She failed. "Coffee?" she asked. "Yes." "Black?" "Black." "You know, we have other drinks." "I know." "You could try something different." "I don't want something different." Her heart gave an annoyingly enthusiastic little flutter. She busied herself with the coffee machine. "You're very predictable." "You remember my order." "You only ordered it twice." "Still remembered." She glanced at him. He was smiling. Not much. Just enough. "Maybe I have a good memory." "Maybe." She handed him the cup. Their fingers brushed. It was nothing. Barely a touch. Yet Kael's eyes flicked down toward their hands before returning to hers. "Thank you." Elara swallowed. "You're welcome." He didn't leave. She waited. He didn't move. "Did you need something else?" "Yes." "What?" He looked at her for a moment. "You." Elara froze. Kael's expression remained perfectly calm. Elara's brain stopped functioning. "Excuse me?" A faint smile touched his mouth. "I meant I wanted to see you." "Oh." She hated the tiny sound that escaped her. Kael leaned one elbow against the counter. "Disappointed?" "No." "Good." "I just..." She looked away. "You can't say things like that." "Why?" "Because..." She struggled for an answer. "Because you know exactly what you're doing." His smile grew slightly. "I'm learning."

Elara turned away to hide her face, but she could hear the quiet amusement in his breathing. "You are enjoying this." "A little." "You're terrible." "You keep saying that." "Because it's true." "And yet you're smiling." She looked back at him. He was closer now. Not enough to be inappropriate. Just enough to make her aware of him. "You came back," she said quietly. The amusement faded from his expression. "I told you I would." "I know." She looked at him. "I wasn't sure you meant it." Kael's eyes softened. "I meant it." Something about the simplicity of the answer made her chest tighten. He hadn't said it dramatically. He hadn't needed to. There was certainty in his voice, the kind that made the words feel heavier than they should have. Elara lowered her gaze. "Good." Kael's fingers brushed the edge of the counter near hers. "Are you alright?" "Yes." "No nightmares?" She looked up sharply. "How did you know?" "You looked tired yesterday." "I always look tired." "Not like that." She smiled faintly. "You're observant." "I told you." "You notice everything." "Not everything." "What do you miss?" His gaze stayed on hers. "Usually the things I should notice." The answer was quiet enough that she almost missed it.

For a moment, neither spoke. The café continued around them. The hiss of the coffee machine. Cups clinking. Rain tapping against the windows. Someone laughing at a table near the back. Yet somehow Elara felt as though they were standing inside a small pocket of silence that belonged only to them. She reached for a cup. Kael reached for it at the same time. Their hands touched. This time neither pulled away. His fingers settled lightly over hers. Elara looked down. Then up. Kael didn't say anything. He simply held her gaze. She could feel the warmth of his hand. It was such a small thing, but it made something inside her soften. She turned her hand beneath his until their fingers briefly intertwined. Kael looked down at their hands as though he hadn't expected her to do that. Then his thumb moved once across the back of hers. "You don't have to be afraid of me," he said. Elara smiled. "I'm not." "You should be." "You keep saying that." "Because it's true." She squeezed his hand. "Then I'll decide for myself." His eyes lifted to hers. There was something almost vulnerable in them. "You're stubborn." "So are you." "Yes." "Maybe that's why we get along." A quiet laugh escaped him. "Maybe."

The bell above the door rang again, and the moment broke. Kael released her hand, though his fingers lingered for one second longer than necessary. A group of university students entered, laughing loudly, and one of them immediately recognized Kael. Elara watched the change ripple through the room. The laughter stopped. Conversations lowered. Eyes turned. Someone whispered his name. Blackfall. Kael didn't react. He had clearly become accustomed to people fearing him. Elara, however, found herself irritated on his behalf. She watched one young man take out his phone. Another nudged him. The phone came up. Elara stepped forward. "Hey." The young man froze. "Put that away." He blinked. "I was just—" "Put it away." He hesitated. Kael looked at her. The faintest trace of surprise crossed his face. The phone disappeared into the young man's pocket. "Sorry." The group moved toward a table. Elara returned behind the counter. Kael was still watching her. "What?" she asked. "Nothing." "You look impressed." "I am." "By what?" "You stood up for me." Elara shrugged. "You're a person." His expression changed. The words seemed to strike somewhere deeper than she intended. "People don't usually say that." "Then people are idiots."

Kael looked away for a moment. When he looked back, his eyes were warmer. "You're dangerous." Elara smiled. "You've said that too." "I mean it differently now." She leaned closer. "How?" He lowered his voice. "You make me want things." Her heart skipped. "Like what?" He looked at her for several seconds. "Things I stopped wanting a long time ago." She didn't know what to say to that. So she reached across the counter and took his hand. His fingers closed around hers. They stood like that for a moment, quietly holding hands in the middle of a café full of people who were pretending not to watch.

Then the front door slammed open.

Everyone turned.

Three men entered.

Elara recognized none of them.

Kael did.

She knew because every trace of softness disappeared from his face.

One of the men reached beneath his jacket.

Kael moved.

Not dramatically.

Not quickly.

Simply decisively.

He stepped in front of Elara.

The man drew a weapon.

Kael raised one hand.

The weapon became impossibly heavy.

It dropped.

The man stared at his empty hand.

Kael's voice was quiet.

"Wrong place."

The second man charged.

The floor beneath him suddenly became heavier.

His knees slammed into the ground.

The third man turned toward the door.

The door slammed shut by itself.

Kael looked at him.

"Stay."

The man froze.

Elara stared.

The entire café was silent.

Kael didn't even look angry.

That was somehow worse.

"Who sent you?"

The first man said nothing.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

Gravity increased.

The man's knees pressed harder against the floor.

"Who?"

"Go to hell."

Kael smiled without humor.

"I've been."

Elara stepped forward.

"Kael."

His eyes immediately shifted toward her.

The pressure vanished.

The men gasped.

Elara saw it.

The way his anger changed the instant she spoke.

She walked closer.

"Don't."

He looked at her.

"They came for you."

"I know."

"You could have been hurt."

"I know."

His jaw tightened.

"Then why are you asking me to stop?"

"Because I don't want you to become something you hate."

For a moment, he simply stared at her.

Then slowly lowered his hand.

The men remained on the floor.

Kael looked at them.

"Leave."

They scrambled toward the door.

The moment they disappeared, Kael turned back to Elara.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"Probably."

"You could have been hurt."

"You keep saying that."

"Because I'm serious."

"So am I."

She stepped closer.

He looked down at her.

"You don't get to scare me and then disappear every time someone threatens me."

His eyebrows lifted.

"Scare you?"

"Yes."

"How?"

She looked at him.

"By making me care."

Silence.

Kael stared at her.

Elara realized what she had said.

Neither of them moved.

Then Kael reached out.

His hand settled gently against her cheek.

His thumb brushed beneath her eye.

His voice dropped.

"I'm sorry."

She blinked.

"What?"

"I'm sorry I scared you."

It was the last thing she expected from him.

She smiled.

"Thank you."

His hand remained against her face.

He leaned closer.

Not enough to kiss her.

Just enough that she felt his breath.

"Elara."

"Yes?"

His eyes searched hers.

"Tell me to stop."

She looked at his lips.

Then back into his eyes.

"I don't want you to."

His forehead touched hers.

For a moment, they simply stayed there.

Then his lips brushed her temple.

A soft kiss.

Another against her cheek.

Elara closed her eyes.

Kael's mouth moved slowly toward her jaw.

He paused beside her ear.

His voice was barely a whisper.

"You're going to be the death of me."

She smiled.

"You're Blackfall."

"I know."

"You're supposed to be impossible to kill."

He kissed the edge of her jaw.

"You're finding weaknesses."

She turned her face toward him.

"Maybe I like them."

His eyes darkened.

He leaned closer.

Their lips were almost touching.

Then Daniel's voice came from behind the counter.

"I just want everyone to know that if you're going to make out in my workplace, I would appreciate at least a warning so I can go home."

Elara jumped away.

Kael slowly looked toward him.

Daniel froze.

"Right."

He pointed toward the back.

"I'm going."

Elara covered her face.

Kael actually laughed.

A real laugh.

Daniel disappeared.

Elara looked at Kael.

"You scared him."

"I didn't say anything."

"You looked at him."

"He should be more careful."

She laughed.

Kael looked at her.

And for a few seconds, there was no Blackfall.

No Vanguard.

No enemies.

No threats.

Just Kael smiling at her in the middle of a messy little café.

Elara reached for his hand.

He took it immediately.

Their fingers intertwined.

And neither of them noticed the dark vehicle parked across the street.

Or the camera lens pointed toward them.

Or the message being sent to an unknown recipient.

THEY'RE GETTING CLOSER.

A reply appeared.

GOOD. LET THEM.

THE CLOSER THEY GET, THE MORE IT WILL HURT.