Chapter 36 Safe Haven
Now
The enormity of what Selena just revealed—that The Architect is alive, present, and closer than we realized—hangs in the salt-thick air like a death sentence.
My mind races through possibilities, each more terrifying than the last. If Dominic was just an enforcer, if there’s someone even more dangerous pulling the strings, then our nightmare is far from over.
“We need to get back to campus,” Selena says, her voice cutting through my spiraling thoughts. “Standing out here in the open makes you vulnerable to anyone else The Architect might send.”
She begins leading us away from Dominic’s body, her movements careful on the treacherous cliff path.
The storm clouds gathering on the horizon seem to mirror the darkness closing in around us, but there’s something different about Selena’s presence—a sense of competence and protection I haven’t felt since this whole nightmare began.
“You killed him,” I say, still processing the reality of what just happened. “You actually killed Dominic to save us.”
“Some choices transcend moral complexity,” Selena replies without hesitation. “Dominic Griffiths was a predator who specialized in eliminating threats to the network. He would’ve tortured you for information before putting bullets in your heads. I prevented that outcome.”
Max’s hand tightens in mine as we navigate the winding path back toward the university. “How long have you known? About the network, about what our families were really doing?”
“Longer than I care to admit.” Selena’s expression grows pained in the moonlight. “My family built this institution, but somewhere along the way, it was corrupted. Perverted into something that served the network’s interests rather than genuine education.”
The familiar Gothic spires of Shark Bay University rise before us, and I feel something I haven’t experienced in months: relief at the sight of those ancient stones.
It’s strange how the place that once felt like a prison now represents a sanctuary—the only place where someone with institutional power is actively working to protect us.
“As long as you remain on the island under my protection, you’ll be safe,” Selena continues as we approach the main campus. “The enhanced security measures, the isolated location—Shark Bay can be a fortress when properly defended.”
Luna breaks her silence for the first time since Dominic’s death, her voice small but steady. “What about The Architect? If they’re as powerful as you suggest—”
“Then we prepare for them methodically.” Selena’s smile is sharp enough to cut. “I’ve been building resources for years. Evidence, contacts, alternative power structures. We can begin planning how to expose and dismantle whatever remains of their operation.”
The promise of actually fighting back—of taking the offensive—sends adrenaline through my exhausted system. “You’re talking about war.”
“I’m talking about justice.” Selena pauses at the entrance to the campus proper, her pale eyes surveying the grounds with tactical awareness. “Get back to your rooms. Lock your doors and stay together. After what happened with Dominic, I’m doubling security around the dormitories.”
Her protective tone—the way she speaks about our safety like it truly matters to her—nearly breaks me with its simple kindness. When was the last time an adult in my life acted with genuine care rather than calculated manipulation?
“Thank you,” I whisper, meaning it more than any words I’ve ever spoken.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Selena says, her expression growing serious. “What we’re planning to do is going to be the most dangerous thing any of us has ever attempted. They won’t go quietly.”
“Good,” Max says, his voice carrying steel I recognize from our darkest moments. “I’m tired of them hurting people. Tired of running from shadows.”
Selena nods approvingly. “Then we’ll make excellent allies. But rest now. Heal. Let yourselves feel safe.”
As we part ways in the corridor, I feel something I haven’t experienced since childhood: the possibility of genuine safety.
“I can’t believe we’re here,” I say, sinking onto the bed with exhaustion finally claiming my adrenaline-fueled energy. “Actually safe, actually protected.”
Max settles beside me, pulling me against his chest with the gentle possessiveness I’ve come to crave. “Selena saved us. If she hadn’t shown up when she did…”
“I know.” The words come out rougher than intended. Because I know exactly what would have happened. Dominic would’ve put bullets in our heads and disposed of our bodies like garbage, just another tragedy in the endless catalog of the network’s crimes.
“Hey,” Max says softly, his lips brushing against my temple. “It’s over. We’re safe.”
I turn in his arms, studying his face in the warm lamplight. The sharp line of his jaw, the gold flecks in his brown eyes, the way his dark hair falls across his forehead. He’s beautiful, but more than that—he’s mine. Despite everything that’s tried to tear us apart, we found each other.
“Make love to me,” I whisper, the words coming easier than they ever have before.
His answer is a kiss that tastes like relief and promises and the radical idea that we might undoubtedly have a future worth fighting for.
Our bodies tangle in the duvet, limbs brushing gently as he carefully removes our uniforms. Something has shifted between us, our touch now a question and an answer all at once.
“I love you,” he breathes, filling me with the unspoken language of physicality. You are precious. Your safety is my highest priority. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.
His thickness stretches me perfectly, claiming me again and again while I fall apart in his arms. Each stroke carries deeper passion than it should, his hips driving into mine with devastating force, but the intensity is diluted with something new and fragile: the sense that together, we’re building something stronger than ourselves.
“Max,” I moan, digging my nails into his back and holding him as tight as I can. If our lives truly revolve around patterns of catastrophe, then I want to drown out the past with sounds of our future.
He thrusts again, deep and hard, his entire body moving in rhythm with mine. There’s no end or beginning to us, just the perfect unity I want to carry with me forever.
“Come for me,” he whispers in my ear. “Let go.”
And so I do—my body losing control in an arc of feeling that obliterates the past, leaves no room for questions or terror or uncertainty.
I’m liquid and glowing, transmuted by the trust between us.
As I shatter, he follows—our pleasure colliding like waves battering stone, driving us to perfection beyond comprehension.
Afterward, we tangle together on the tangled duvet, breaths slowing in each other’s arms. Max smells like sex and sweat and home, a sensation I never want to forget. His eyes remain fixed on my face, tracking my expressions with focused attention.
“What do you think happens now?” I ask quietly.
“Now we help Selena expose The Architect. We make sure no other children suffer what we suffered.” His voice carries certainty that wraps around me like armor. “We build something better from the ashes.”
As sleep finally claims me, I dream of a future where Luna and Erik plan their wedding without looking over their shoulders. Where Max and I wake up choosing each other instead of survival. Where children like we once were grow up protected instead of exploited, loved instead of used.
It’s a beautiful dream, one I hold close as exhaustion pulls me under. But even as warmth and safety cocoon me in this room, something cold whispers at the edges of my consciousness. The Architect is still out there, still planning, still pulling strings we haven’t even discovered yet.
And something tells me they’ve been waiting for exactly this moment—when we finally felt safe enough to let our guard down.