Chapter 34
Ares
“Burner On Me”
The moment my car rolled through the iron gates, the tension was already in the air. Before the engine even died, I heard shouting inside the house. A woman’s voice.
Sharp. Furious.
Yuna.
I stepped out of the car slowly, adjusting the cuff of my coat while the guards exchanged nervous looks.
“That’s been going on all afternoon, sir,” one of them muttered.
Of course it had.
The front doors swung open before I even reached the steps. Two house staff rushed past me like they were escaping a fire.
From somewhere down the hallway, I heard her again.
“I said give me a damn phone!”
I exhaled through my nose and walked inside.
The marble floors carried my footsteps through the foyer, but she heard me before I spoke.
Yuna stood halfway down the corridor, pacing like a caged animal. Her hair was pulled up messily, a red silk robe tied around her waist, bare feet slapping against the floor.
The moment she saw me, her eyes went wild.
“Oh, there you are,” she snapped. “The king finally decided to come home.”
I leaned against the doorway, watching her like I was studying a storm.
“You miss me?”
“Miss you?” she scoffed, walking toward me. “I’ve been asking these scary-ass staff for a phone all day, and they’re acting as if I asked for the nuclear codes.”
“They know better.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I want my cousin here, and I want a vape,” she said, jabbing a finger toward my chest. “I’m not staying in this big ass prison by myself.”
“You’re not by yourself.”
“Yes, I am.”
Her voice echoed through the hallway. “And if you think I’m about to sit here like some quiet little bride, you got me fucked up.”
I pushed off the doorway and walked toward her slowly.
“You finished?”
“Not even close.”
She stepped right into my space, fire blazing in her eyes.
“I said, give me a damn phone.”
I reached for her wrist.
Bad move.
Yuna moved faster than most men I’d trained.
Her hand slipped behind my back, fingers brushing the holster at my waistband.
Before the guards even realized what was happening—
She had my gun.
The metal clicked softly as she pulled it free and lifted it straight to my head.
The hallway went silent.
Every guard froze.
Yuna tilted her head, the barrel steady against my forehead.
“Yeah, nigga,” she said quietly. “Ain’t think I was that quick.”
I stared down at her.
Unbothered.
“Now give me a damn phone.”
One of the guards stepped forward.
I lifted my hand slightly.
Don’t.
Yuna’s chest rose and fell, adrenaline burning through her body.
She looked proud of herself.
Like she’d finally won something.
I leaned forward just enough for my forehead to almost touch the barrel.
“La sécurité est enclenchée, femme.” The damn safety is on, woman.
Her eyes flickered for half a second.
That was all I needed.
My hand shot out, gripping her wrist and twisting just enough for the gun to fall loose. I caught it mid-drop and slid it back into the holster like it had never left.
Before she could even react—
I pulled her against me.
Hard.
And kissed her.
My hand gripped the back of her neck as her body stiffened in shock.
For a second, she didn’t move.
Then she shoved against my chest, breath uneven when I finally let her go.
Her lips were slightly swollen.
Her glare could’ve started a war.
“I hate you,” she said.
I smirked faintly. “I know.”
She stepped back, wiping her mouth like she wanted to erase it.
But the heat in her eyes was still there.
Maybe anger.
Confusion.
Something else.
I walked past her toward the staircase to head to my office.
“You want a phone?” I said casually over my shoulder.
She didn’t answer.
“You’re going to have to earn it.”
She stormed off to the kitchen while I went upstairs. I’d let her cool off because I talked to her again…