Elias watched us with an unreadable expression as Rowan led me down the hallway closer to whatever this new, dangerous, impossible connection was becoming.
And all I could think was:
I wasn't sure if I should run from it…
Or fall into it.
The hallway was dim, lit only by the soft glow of wall lamps that cast long shadows on the wooden floor. Rowan's hand hovered near my back, not touching, but close enough that I felt the heat of him. Elias walked behind us, silent, every step deliberate, as if he wasn't just guiding me deeper into the house… but deeper into something neither of them planned to undo.
My pulse thudded in my ears.
When Rowan stopped in front of a door, he turned slightly, his voice low.
"Ava… before we go in, you need to breathe."
Elias's voice came from behind me, calmer, but sharper.
"She is breathing. Just not comfortably."
Rowan shot him a look. "You're not helping."
"I'm being honest."
I swallowed and faced the door. "What's in there?"
Rowan rested his hand on the knob. "The room we use when things aren't safe."
"It's the most protected part of the house," Elias added. "Nothing and no one gets close without us knowing."
My heart skipped. "So I'm… staying in there?"
"For now," Elias replied. "Until we understand how closely he's tracking you."
Rowan leaned on the doorframe, eyes softening.
"And until we understand why he wants you so badly."
A chill ran down my arms.
Elias stepped forward. "Ava."
I looked up, and his dark eyes held mine, steady and impossible to read.
"Whatever happens next… you don't face it alone. Not anymore."
My breath caught.
Rowan's voice dropped, quieter now.
"We chose to bring you here. That means something."
Something shifted in the air thick, warm, tense.
I felt like the walls themselves were listening.
Elias reached past me and opened the door.
The room inside wasn't what I expected.
Not a bunker.
Not a prison.
Just… quiet. Soft. Warm light. A large window with curtains. A bed made neatly. Shelves. A desk. A place meant for peace.
But the tension between the three of us made peace feel impossible.
Rowan walked in first, pacing the room like he was checking invisible corners.
Elias stayed by the doorway, watching me watch him.
Then Rowan turned to me, voice gentle.
"You're safe now. No running. No shadows. Just… breathe."
I did. Slowly.
Elias stepped closer, stopping just a little too near the kind of near that made my heart pound harder, not from fear, but from something dangerous.
"Ava," he said quietly, "you need rest. We'll take shifts outside this door. You won't be alone for a second."
Rowan smirked lightly. "See? Even Elias turns protective when you're involved."