EZRA
I was on the edge of sleep, my body still tense, my mind still restless. Even with exhaustion pulling at me, I couldn't truly let myself go. Not in this place. Not when Lucius could summon me at any moment, not when the walls had ears and shadows moved when they shouldn't.
Then I heard it.
A soft creak. The unmistakable sound of my door easing open.
My breath hitched, my heart slamming against my ribs like it wanted to escape before I could. My entire body locked up, frozen between fight and flight. Was it him? Was it Lucius coming to drag me out of bed, to punish me for some unseen crime, to remind me once again how powerless I was?
I shot up, barely breathing, barely moving, my eyes darting to the doorway.
But it wasn't Lucius.
It was Malachai.
I blinked, confused, disoriented, my body still coiled with fear. He stood there, unmoving, the dim light from the hall casting shadows across his face, his expression unreadable. No…no, that wasn't true. His expression was very readable. The heat in his eyes, the way his lips parted slightly, the way his breathing was just a little too controlled, like he was trying to steady himself.
Lust.
My stomach twisted, and I scrambled off the bed, my feet hitting the cold floor.
"Malachai?" I whispered, my voice barely above breath.
I was scared. Not just because of him standing there, but because I had missed him. Because I had spent days forcing myself not to look at him, not to think about him, not to feel. And now here he was, standing in front of me like a ghost of something that never really existed.
He didn't say anything. He just looked at me, his chest rising and falling with each slow, controlled breath, like he was holding something back.
"What are you doing here?" I whispered again, softer this time, as if speaking too loudly would shatter whatever fragile thread was holding this moment together.
Then he did something I never expected.
He whispered, "I'm sorry."
I stared at him, my body going rigid. "What?"
His eyes didn't waver. "I'm sorry, Ezra. For everything. For watching. For doing nothing. For being a coward."
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head, feeling my chest tighten in frustration, in confusion, in something I couldn't even name.
"Why are you apologizing?" I asked, my voice harsher than I intended. "We had nothing, Malachai. Nothing. Just a glimpse of hope, and even that was a mistake. There was never anything real between us. Just…just a stupid connection I thought I felt. That's it. That's all it was. So don't stand there and apologize like we were something. We weren't."
I was trying to convince myself more than I was trying to convince him.
But Malachai wasn't listening.
Before I could react, before I could even think to step back, he moved. Fast.
One moment, he was standing in the doorway. The next, his hands were on me, gripping my arms, dragging me forward until I was pressed against him. His warmth, his strength—it overwhelmed me instantly, knocking the air from my lungs.
Then he kissed me.
I froze. My entire body turned to ice, my mind blank.
His lips were firm, desperate, his hands holding me like he thought I'd disappear if he let go.
I should have pushed him away. I should have shoved at his chest, pulled back, told him he was making a mistake.
But I didn't.
Because the worst part? The absolute worst part of it all?
I kissed him back.
Just for a second. Just for a single, traitorous heartbeat, I melted into him.
Then reality came crashing down.
I shoved at him, breaking away, stumbling back like I had been burned. My breaths came too fast, my hands trembling as I pressed them against my lips, as if I could wipe away what had just happened.
"What the hell was that?" My voice came out sharp, almost frantic. "You…you can't just…" I let out a breath, shaking my head, feeling something close to hysteria bubbling up in my chest. "I've only known you for two weeks, Malachai. Two weeks. We barely spoke. We barely knew each other. And now…now we're acting like some long-lost tragic lovers? What is this?"
Malachai said nothing. He just watched me, his face unreadable now, but his breathing still uneven.
"You made a mistake," I whispered, my voice cracking. "A really bad one. And now you've just made everything worse."
Silence stretched between us, thick, suffocating.
Then, before he could say anything else, before he could reach for me again, I turned away, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would shatter inside my chest.
I couldn't do this. I couldn't let myself fall into another illusion, another stupid, hopeless fantasy.
Because Malachai was never mine to begin with.
I felt a pull,stumbling from the force my face hit a firm chest…..malachai.
He didn't let me go this time….