Noah
A day before.
Adonis said, running his fingers through his hair in that familiar way he did when he was stressed. I looked up from the file he handed me.
“Why? She can handle this on her own. Besides, I haven’t talked to her since the Gala. And let’s not forget the wedding, where she practically dodged me every time, I tried to strike up a conversation.”
That day still stuck with me; the moment Lillian discovered everything.
I knew she was there, and deep down, I felt she needed to know the truth.
Adonis seemed weak for not being upfront, or at least that’s how I saw it.
When Lillian found out, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being a complete jerk afterward.
All I wanted was for Adonis to be honest about his feelings.
In the process, I ended up losing Liz. Though, to be fair, I never really had her in the first place; turns out, she had her own struggles alongside the rest of us.
“Don’t argue with me, just go make sure she’s safe.”
Adonis groaned. I smirked and nodded, knowing I wouldn’t win this battle.
Ever since everything went down, Elizabeth had been avoiding me like the plague.
I had no clue how to approach her after all that had happened.
She ignored my calls and texts, and I even saw her toss out the flowers I had sent her.
“Let’s just hope this doesn’t turn into a complete shit show.”
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I gathered my gear, strapping blades and vials into place like it might be the last time. You never know with these kinds of missions. One wrong move and everything you planned can go up in flames — or blood.
And then there was her.
God, Elizabeth.
No matter how many times I saw her in the field, it never stopped doing something to me — something primal and protective and damn near reverent.
I pulled up to the site, the old warehouse cast in shadows and amber moonlight. Her forest-green Jeep was already parked along the side, half-tucked beneath a tree. Of course she was early — she liked to own the space before it ever had a chance to turn on her.
I parked my bike beside hers and walked the perimeter silently, boots barely making a sound against the gravel.
The moment I rounded the corner, I saw her — crouched down, completely locked in.
Her braid had loosened, and strands of dirty blonde hair spilled around her shoulders, catching the light like spun gold. She was calm, methodical, deadly.
And those eyes — the left, a Caribbean blue that made me think of home, the right, green with gold like shattered glass after a fire.
I could drown in them. I had.
She didn’t see me. Not yet.
But then, I felt the shift in her posture. Her fingers twitched, then darted to her boot. I grinned before the blade even left her hand.
She spun, lightning-quick, and threw the knife straight at me.
I caught it mid-air with a smirk, spinning it once on my knuckle.
“Whoa there, Sunshine, no need to stab me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Noah? What the hell are you doing here?”
I stepped into the light, returning her blade.
“Adonis sent me. Said to keep an eye on you. Make sure things went smooth.”
She scoffed, but her body relaxed. Barely. She stood up — and holy hell, the way her gear clung to her frame should be illegal in five countries.
She started talking through the plan, voice crisp and focused.
I tried to listen — really tried — but she had this way of stealing my oxygen without even noticing.
Every line of her face, the way she brushed hair out of her eyes, the faint crease between her brows when she calculated risk… it was enough to wreck me.
“Earth to Noah.”
Her voice snapped me back.
“Sorry,” I muttered, grinning as I dropped my bag beside hers and started suiting up. “Just admiring the view.”
She rolled her eyes and turned back to the map.
“We take the guard in the back. Quick and clean. Then we move to Jeremy’s quarters. No alarms.”
I nodded, but my eyes were still on her as we took our positions. She moved like smoke — soft, fluid, impossible to catch. I handled my guard with a single strike and turned to see her already taking hers down, one brutal twist of her body sending the man crumpling to the ground.
She didn’t break a sweat. Didn’t even blink.
“Stunning,” I said under my breath.
She looked up, arching an eyebrow, and I realized too late I’d said it out loud. I coughed, played it off, and started helping her clean the scene.
We moved together like two parts of the same machine — no wasted breath, no second-guessing. We’d always worked like this, long before the kisses and the late nights and the part where I handed her my heart without asking if she wanted it.
I passed her the tools to stage the scene, and she took them with a surgeon’s precision. I couldn’t help thinking how much she carried — her past, her family, the blood on her hands. And still, she never hesitated.
When she pushed open the bedroom door, I followed close, cutting off the exit while she drifted toward the bed like a shadow. Jeremy stirred. His eyes blinked open, and panic hit him like a truck.
“I-I kept my end of the deal! I won’t talk—”
“Oh, Jeremy,” she purred, and her voice sent a chill down even my spine. “You think this is about you?”
She moved closer, twirling the needle between her fingers like it was a paintbrush, like she was about to create a masterpiece out of vengeance. Her voice was sweet. Her smile was venom.
“She saved my life. You think I’ll let anyone threaten her now?”
He lunged.
But I was already moving.
I grabbed his wrist mid-swing, twisted hard, slammed him back against the headboard, and pinned him down with all my weight. My eyes burned into his.
God help anyone who tries to touch her.
She didn’t even flinch. She finished the injection like he was nothing more than a whisper from a past she was ready to erase.
“You crazy bitch, I’ll kill you!” he choked out.
Elizabeth leaned in, her lips brushing his ear.
“Oh? I’d love to see you try... from hell.”
His body convulsed once, then twice — and then it was over.
The moonlight spilled through the shattered blinds behind her, washing her in silver. Her braid swung behind her shoulder, her eyes gleaming with something dark and holy.
This. This was why they called her the Night Orchid.
And standing there, watching her finish what she started, all I could think was —
She’ll never need me.
But damn it, I’ll always be right behind her.
In awe.
In love.
And ready to burn the world for her.