And for the first time… I wasn't sure I wanted to escape it."
The room felt too still after that thought too quiet for the storm moving inside my chest. I shifted under the blanket, staring at the faint lines of moonlight stretching across the ceiling. On the other side of the door, their voices dropped to a soft murmur. I couldn't hear the words… only the tone.
Elias's low, controlled calm.
Rowan's restless warmth.
Two opposites yet both orbiting the same point.
Me.
I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing, but the tension in the hallway echoed through the walls. After a moment, Rowan's voice softened, almost hesitant.
"She's scared, Eli. But she trusts us."
A brief pause.
Elias answered, quieter than I'd ever heard him.
"That's why we can't fail her."
My chest tightened.
I shouldn't have listened. I shouldn't have wanted to.
I rolled onto my side, pulling the blanket closer. But the more I tried to sleep, the more their presence filled the room, threading through the shadows.
A soft knock tapped against the door.
Not forceful. Not urgent.
Just enough to let me know I wasn't alone.
"Ava?" Rowan's voice. "You awake?"
I hesitated, then whispered, "Yes."
The door cracked open but only halfway. Rowan didn't step inside. He stayed in the doorway, leaning lightly against the frame, his hair messy, his expression gentle in a way that made my heart skip.
"Elias said to check on you," he said softly. "But, you know… I actually wanted to."
Before I could answer, Elias appeared behind him, his presence instantly grounding the space
"Rowan," he said quietly, "give her room."
Rowan huffed a small smile. "I'm not crowding her."
"You exist," Elias replied calmly. "That's crowding."
Rowan shot him a look, but Elias's expression didn't change.
I found myself smiling before I meant to.
Rowan lifted his hand slightly, like he wanted to step in but kept himself anchored in the doorway. Respectful. Careful. Almost too careful for someone who seemed made of wildfire.
"You're safe," he said, voice dropping. "Nothing's getting past us."
Elias's eyes met mine from behind him. Steady. Certain.
"And nothing will touch you," he added, "as long as we're here."
Two promises.
Two dangers.
Two comforts.
All aimed at me.
I swallowed. "Thank you. Both of you."
Rowan softened immediately. Elias's gaze held mine an extra second longer than it should have before he spoke.
"Try to sleep," he said. "We're right outside."
The door closed gently, leaving me in the quiet again but this time the silence didn't feel empty. It felt… charged.
Safe.
And terrifying.
Because as my eyes drifted shut, one truth pulsed louder than the fear:
I didn't just trust them.
I was starting to feel something deeper.
Something neither of us were ready for.
Something I couldn't run from anymore.
Not even if I wanted to.