Chapter 43 Katana
Katana
The silence after Vale and Corinne leave is thick enough to choke on. The mug of water still sits between us on the concrete, forgotten. My body shakes with leftover fear, but it’s the words I didn’t say that hurt worse.
“Micah.” My voice is a rasp, barely audible.
He lifts his head, pupils still blown wide, every breath a ragged scrape. Still, he watches me like I’m the only thing in this cell that matters.
I swallow, my throat tight. “You’ve always given me a choice. Even when you didn’t have to. You let me take back my power.”
His brow furrows, but he doesn’t interrupt.
My head ducks, shame burning through me as I slide my foot until it anchors against his. The chains rattle, the sound ugly, but the contact is everything.
“Every other male has just… taken. Left me used and broken.” A sob claws its way out, shaking me apart. “Not you. Even though they call you the ice monster… you’re not cold to me. You’re warm. Safety. Comfort.”
His jaw flexes. His fingers twitch against his cuffs like he’s fighting the restraints to reach me, even though he can’t touch me with his hands.
I meet his eyes, raw and burning. “Even in here, you’re my calm. My storm. And if you get free, you’ll make them pay for hurting me.”
For a long beat, he stares at me.
Then his voice, shredded but steady, echoes off the wall. “I will destroy them for you.”
His black eyes soften. “I’m yours. All of me.”