Chapter 35
Igaze out at the hospital window, eyes cast to the light fading over the horizon, the setting sun making the city glow.
I haven”t been awake long, and I need more sleep, but my mind keeps replaying the events of the past couple of days over and over, a loop I can”t escape. My chest tightens at the memory of Sean and the gun pressed against me, fear leaving a cold trail down my spine that has my breaths coming in soft gasps.
The sound of a blanket moving has me turning to see a tousled Kieran sit up in the chair next to me, running a hand through his hair.
”Kieran,” I whisper, my voice barely audible above the sound of my own ragged breaths as he moves to sit next to me on the hospital bed. I look into his eyes, torn between the love that swells within me and the knowledge of the darkness that lurks in his life.
Before me is the man who had captivated me with his charm, his intellect, and his undeniable passion. But beneath that tantalizing fa?ade, I now understand the truth of the sinister world he inhabits. The truth of why he tried to push me away.
”Lina, are you—” he begins, but I hold up a hand to silence him.
”Please, don”t say anything just yet.” My fingers tremble as my mind tries to spin a web with my conflicting emotions, putting the pieces together of everything I have learned. Some pieces are sharp with jagged edges and looking at them too long makes my heart bleed.
I am pulled to Kieran like the moon to the earth. Even with most of our relationship in memories locked away, I can’t escape his orbit, a force so powerful it threatens to consume me entirely.
But even with that magnetic pull of my connection to Kieran, I realize I can no longer turn a blind eye to the sins committed by those whose blood runs through his veins.
Kieran”s gaze bares into mine, seeking any sign of forgiveness or understanding, but all he finds is a storm of emotion swirling in the depths of my emerald eyes. In that moment, I wish I can erase everything I have learned about this town and all the dark deeds that run beneath the surface.
The door to my room opens and Iris walks in, her eyes wide once she spots me. ”You”re awake!”
At her exclamation, a commotion echoes in the hallway, with Claire and Amanda quickly following Iris into the room.
”Oh, Avie!” Claire exclaims, ”I was so worried about you! I didn”t know what to do when you disappeared at the club.”
Iris interrupts. ”Claire called me, and I called Kieran. I knew if anyone could help, it was him.”
I blink at this statement, so unlike how Iris talked about Kieran the last time we discussed it.
Iris grabs my hands in hers. ”I know what you”re thinking, Avie. I was wrong. If it wasn”t for Kieran, who knows if you”d even be alive right now. He saved you.”
I see Kieran frown over Claire”s shoulder, and he speaks the words I know he”s thinking. ”No, I was the one that put Avalina in danger. If she was never in a relationship with me, Sean wouldn”t have targeted her.”
Iris whips around and smacks Kieran on the shoulder. ”No, you don”t get to say things like that. Sean made his choices because he was a horrible person. You made choices because you love Avalina.”
Kieran”s eyes soften at that. ”You”re right, I do love her,” he says as his eyes meet mine.
As our gazes lock, unspoken promises and fears tangle together like the threads of a tapestry, weaving an uncertain path forward.
I turn my gaze back to Iris, who is patting my hand. It is clear that the two have been talking while I was asleep. ”How long was I out?”
”Almost a day.”
Claire walks to the other side of the bed, sitting next to me. ”I”m so sorry, Avie, I should have gone with you outside. I shouldn”t have left you alone.”
I clutch Claire”s hand. ”No, no, it”s not your fault. Iris is right. The only person who is at fault is Sean O”Neil.”
Kieran clears his throat and Iris and Claire exchange a look I can”t decipher before my friends make excuses to clear the room.
It feels like stones are gathering in my chest, weighing me down and rooting me to the spot, caught in Kieran”s snare.
”Kieran,” I begin, my voice wavering, ”Is everything okay? Are we safe now?”
”Yes, we”re safe, Lina.” Kieran says, placing a kiss on the top of my head. ”Sean and those loyal to him are gone.”
”What about Finn?”
”He”s fine. The doctor says it will take some time for him to recover, so Slone has stepped in for now. She seems to have a firm hand on things.”
”That doesn”t surprise me, given how she risked her life to save me. To save us.”
”Lina, I want you to know. It”s all over now. You”re safe now. I promise. No matter what you want to do with your life, where you want to go, who you want to be with.”
”Who I want to be with?” I can”t keep the sharp bite out of my tone. ”Do I have a choice now?”
”I fucked up. I thought staying away would protect you, but I just put you in more danger. I”m so sorry, Avalina.”
”Sorry doesn”t make up for the new nightmares, Kieran.” Anger surges, hot and molten. My words flow like an angry torrent that seeks every chink in Kieran”s armor. ”You walked away.”
Kieran flinches but holds my gaze all the same, willing to take every blow I can give.
”I know, and I”ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, if you let me.”
My rage cools at the unwavering oath Kieran is offering. But I”m still unsure if I want to accept.
Kieran”s world holds a savage violence that most would run from, afraid of the beasts that lurk in the night. But I understand games of power, and I trust Kieran is one of the few that seeks the crown not to control, but to protect.
The question is, did I trust that Kieran can protect me? If I stay by his side, if I stay in his life, will there be another repeat of the nightmare currently replaying in my mind?
I feel the warmth of Kieran”s breath on my skin, like a flame dancing dangerously close to kindling.
”Kieran,” I say, my voice wavering, ”I–” But the words halt in my throat, choked by the storm within me. I want to trust him, to accept his promise and let our love guide us through the shadows. But the weight of this town”s darkness bares down on me, suffocating the very air around us.
Our love is an ember that burns brightly in the darkness, but it will take more than just passion to banish the shadows forever.
The dimly lit room seems to shrink, as if the walls are closing in on us. Kieran”s nervousness is palpable, etching across every line of his face and echoing in the tremor of his hands. His gaze, full of remorse and desperation, pierces my heart like a searing arrow.
”Lina,” Kieran whispers, his voice cracking with emotion, ”I never wanted this life. Before your accident, we talked about walking away, both of us. Away from this town, this life. I know things haven”t gone the way either of us wants, but we don”t have to be defined by our experiences. We can start together, you and I. Make our own choices.”
My breath hitches as I study his earnest expression. His raw vulnerability tugs at my heart, making it difficult to tear my eyes from his soulful depths.
”Kieran...” I hesitate, the weight of my decision looming like an unyielding force.
”Can you really escape your family”s darkness? Or will it continue to haunt us?” My words hang in the air, heavy with doubt. My heart aches at the thought of a future filled with shadows and secrets, even as my love for him roars like wildfire within my chest.
“I would follow you through the depths of hell, Lina. To another realm entirely. Nothing else matters but you. Your safety. Your happiness. You are my light, and I will go where you lead.”
The sincerity in his words wound around my heart like a silken thread, drawing me closer to him, despite the storm of doubt that raged within me. I know I can never fully forget the darkness that has been revealed with Sean”s actions, but as I look into Kieran”s eyes, I yearn to believe in the possibility of redemption.
For a moment, the room seems to hold its breath, the silence thick and heavy with anticipation. Then, Kieran closes the distance between us, his powerful arms enveloping me in an embrace that is equal parts desperation and relief. Our bodies press together, molding to one another as if they were two halves of a whole seeking solace in each other”s presence.
”Kiss me, Lina,” Kieran whispers against my ear, his voice low and urgent. ”Kiss me like you mean it, like you believe in us.”
And though I know that the path ahead is uncertain, I can’t deny the fire that burns within me as Kieran kisses me—a fire that promises to illuminate even the darkest corners of our hearts. It is this fire, this passion, that fuels my resolve and gives me the strength to face whatever challenges are ahead. For in Kieran”s arms, there is a love that transcends darkness, a love that can burn bright enough to chase away the night.