Chapter 135

**Hadassah POV**

“Ellis.”
The sound of his name on my lips makes his wince tighten.
Physical pain mounting to the point that his bandaged hand starts to tremble. I rise slow and steady and he keeps the gun trained on me until we reach the point where it’s practically pressed on my bare chest. He stands like a statue, unyielding and composed, his presence carved from stone. The lines of his face are hard, sharp—every feature etched with a discipline that borders on indifference. His gaze, cold and steady, never wavers from my own like I’m nothing more to him than his target.
“How did you find me?”
“Pod footage from when you stole the car from the hospital,” he states coldly, not even a tint of tenderness in his eyes. “As a result, we were directed towards the station wagon and from that vantage point, we were able to observe and track your movements. You think that blonde boy is the only one good at circuits? Torin has a team of people just like him.”
“And yet it was only Calum who broke the code and did everything else they couldn’t,” I defend reflexively. “Speaking of teams, where’s yours?”
With melodrama, I try to look past him and he stares back at me wordlessly.
“You’re alone?”
He doesn't answer me.
“You know I can’t tell,” I say quietly, my eyes dart to the gun then they flicker back up at him. “If you want to kill me or kiss me.”
The implication of my words, the mere suggestion that stirs the imagination causes a quivering in the air between us, a subtle shift, but I can see that it crashes through him like a wave. For one of many firsts, his stoic expression falters, just for a heartbeat. His jaw tightens, and a flicker—a barely noticeable hesitation—crosses his face. And from that moment of hesitation, I exploit by knocking the gun out of his weakened grip and sending it clattering on the floor.
A flash of pain makes him wring out his hands as I sprint away, feet barely gripping the surface. Behind me, the heavy footfalls of his pursuit grow louder, each thud like a countdown to the inevitable.
I pitch myself past the grand dining table, nearly crashing into a velvet chair as I pivot. I can practically feel the feral ferocity as he dogs my every step. He’s close—too close. I don’t even turn to see how close because I can feel the sharp shift in the air, his presence like a shadow stretching over me. Desperation surges with him hot on my heels. I lunge toward the staircase, slamming my shoulder into the bulge of the railing. The impact jolts through my body, but that doesn’t stop me. Every breath burns as I surge up the steps. And when I reach the top.
He collides into me and my back bangs against the wall, blocked by his sheer bulk.
“You’re angry,” I say quickly, words ahead of my gasping breaths. “And you have no right to be. You’re really upset that I left Torin behind?”
He dips his head closer, his lips hovering over my own as he holds me in place, his scent more crisp than ocean brine.
“He’s not the only one you left behind.”
My eyes dart to his cargo pants and I pretend I’m going for the well-concealed switchblade. And in his effort to block my attempt. It opens up a leeway that I duck and slip under, hurtling towards the master bedroom. I swing the door open and when I turn to close and lock—he charges with the force of a bull, bursting into the room as he slams into me. He spins me at the last second so I land on top of him, his body cushioning my fall. I lift slightly with my legs straddling him, his powerful thighs bristled and straining under mine.
Instead of shifting to the left, I spread my legs wider, the open splay of my thighs bearing down on his hips with a sultry motion that grinds against him and an aroused moan escapes his lips. And that is enough for my lips to crash on his and the world catches alight.
A single flame that quickly roars to life, sending a rush of heat through every nerve. The world narrows, blurring at the edges, until nothing exists beyond that point of contact. It’s electric, a pulse of energy that surges between us, setting the air on fire. Every inch of my skin burns for more, unstoppable and all-consuming.
It’s as if the earth shifts beneath us, a searing blaze erupting in the space between our mouths. The kiss is fierce, but tender, raw with emotion yet controlled by a shared urgency. My breath hitches, and suddenly the air feels charged, every second brimming with the intensity of this moment. The flame, once a flicker, now roars through my veins.
Everything else melts away—the world outside, the passing of time, even gravity seems to lose its hold. All that remains is this—his lips, my breaths, the heat of our bodies pulled together as if the universe itself demands it. The kiss deepens, and it’s as though we’ve been swallowed by fire, the blaze consuming them in the sweetest way, burning away everything except the aching need for more. It’s a moment that feels like forever and yet not nearly long enough, leaving me breathless, scorched, and utterly alive.
“I need to talk to her,” Calum shouts back, his footsteps thudding up the staircase.
Our lips break apart and I scramble off him, rifting the space between us. The door is already ajar so Calum slips inside and alarm tears through him and that tremor passes through Emilia as they dip in offensive stances. Walking in on Torin’s most trusted in my bedroom, disheveled with the strap of my pajama top hanging off my shoulder and that sight makes Calum’s eyes nearly pop out of his head.
“Get away from her,” he seethes, steely and stern.
“Easy,” I say calmly. “It’s not like that. Ellis would never hurt me.”
The expression on Calum’s face warps from anger to outrage. “So I too was right,” he says, staring at him with a veiled meaning only they share. Then he glares back at me with a look reserved for resentment. “You want to get at me for being with a friendly whilst you’ve been the letting the foe tap that?”
“Watch your fucking mouth,” Ellis barks.
“You better put a leash on your dog,” he says emotionlessly.
Ellish lurches and I grab his hard-flexed bicep, tautening under my touch.
“It’s not like that.”
“So I kept a secret,” he admits. “But I asked you about him and you lied to my face.”
“That’s because there was never supposed to a him or an us!” I snap back helplessly. “Consider our dangerous positions. He’s the head of the security of a man who has my life in a chokehold. Not exactly ideal and yet something… beautiful grew from something barren. And from that.” I jab my index finger towards his bandaged hands. “Came the consequences and I didn’t want to be the reason for another person getting hurt or killed. I never wanted that for anyone—that is what I think about. That’s what devours my mind, not my own interests, whatever the hell you think those are.”
Calum’s gaze falls away, feeling the twinge I felt when I was stung by his outburst.
“How long do we have?” Emilia asks Ellis.
He shakes his head rigidly. “I came alone and sent all other teams to track down false leads.”
“So no one knows that you or her are here—not even Torin?” she probes on.
Ellis surrenders another stiff head shake.
My eyes are fixated on the grim expression on Calum’s face.
“Calum?” Emilia tries.
His eyes lift to meet hers and she gives him an imploring look.
Calum transfers his gaze on Ellis. “So what? You join our rebel crusade? Are we supposed to trust you now?”
“You would be foolish to do so,” he says with colorless candor. “I don’t want any harm to come to Hadassah. Trust in that alone.”
Calum nods somberly.
“That’s something we can all agree on,” Emilia says as an acting intermediary.
“Good enough for me,” Calum agrees.
He glances at me with a silent plea in his eyes and I tear my eyes away.