Kane
I could feel her beside me, even though I didn't need to look to know she was there. Fallon's presence was a constant pull, like a magnetic force drawing my attention. I hated it, and yet I couldn't escape it. It was there in the way she carried herselfâalways so damn determined, always so damn stubborn.
But I wasn't going to let her get in the way of this mission. Not now. Not when things were about to get really dangerous.
The air felt thick with anticipation as we moved deeper into the border checkpoint area. The quiet was unnerving. It was the kind of silence that pressed down on your chest, suffocating you, making every breath harder to take.
Aela was the first to break the stillness, slipping into the shadows like she was one with the night itself. I followed closely behind, careful, always watching, always scanning.
And then I felt it.
The change. The shift in the air that told me something was wrong. My eyes flicked to Fallon, who had gone still beside me. Her sharp eyes were darting to the surrounding trees, the edges of the clearing, everything.
"Don't move," I murmured, barely loud enough for her to hear. My heart was already pounding, my instincts kicking in. Something wasn't right.
I felt her move closer, her presence practically vibrating next to me, and I tensed, waiting. It didn't take long.
A crack. A snap. The unmistakable sound of a branch breaking, loud enough to echo through the silence. My body reacted before my mind could even process it. I spun around, my hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of my sword.
"Ambush," I hissed, barely a breath before my senses exploded into overdrive.
I could feel Fallon stiffen beside me. I saw the way she gripped her sword, the tension in her muscles. She was ready. Too ready. Her reaction was instant, just like mine, but I could see it in her eyesâthis wasn't just another fight to her. There was something more. She was already deep in her head, thinking ten steps ahead.
I knew exactly what she was thinking. She wasn't worried about herself. She never was. She was worried about me.
And I hated it.
I hated how her focus always shifted to me. I hated how she thought she had to take care of me, when I was the one who was supposed to protect her. But I could feel itâthe weight of her concern, the way her eyes flickered over me like she was trying to decide if I was going to be okay.
I wasn't going to let anything happen to her. Not here. Not now.
I motioned to Aela, who was already moving with quiet precision through the trees, keeping her distance as she searched for the source of the attack. The world seemed to move in slow motion as I followed her movements, trying to anticipate every angle. My instincts were sharp, but this wasn't just some routine fight. We were outnumbered. I could feel it in my gut.
I glanced at Fallon again, and this time, she caught my gaze. Her expression was unreadable, but I saw the flicker of somethingâdoubt? No. She wasn't afraid.
She was just waiting. Waiting for me to make the next move.
I hated how she was looking at me. I hated how I was still trying to figure out what she meant to me, when all of this was supposed to be about the mission.
But that's what made this complicated, didn't it? The fact that she mattered. More than she should.
"Stay close," I muttered, my voice gruff. I didn't wait for her to answer, didn't wait for anything.
I stepped forward, a blur of motion, my sword drawn as I moved with the precision I was trained for. The sound of movement in the trees caught my attention, and I turned, spotting the flicker of shadow just ahead. The Brotherhood's men were closing in.
And they were not here to talk.
I was the first to strike. My blade sliced through the air with deadly accuracy, my body moving on instinct. I felt the clash of metal as I deflected a blow from the first man that came at me, his weapon a crude, jagged thing. He stumbled, and I took advantage, landing a blow to his side that sent him to the ground with a grunt.
But they kept coming.
I heard Fallon behind meâher sword cutting through the air in a smooth, practiced arc. I didn't need to turn around to know she was holding her own. She always did.
I moved forward, pushing into the fray with everything I had. The Brotherhood was relentless, but so were we. This was our world. A world of survival, of fighting for everything we had, and right now, I wasn't going to lose. Not today.
I caught a glimpse of Fallon againâjust for a secondâand my chest tightened. She was fierce, just like I knew she would be. But she wasn't untouchable. I needed to make sure she stayed alive.
I couldn't let anything happen to her.
There was a crack, and the sound of something sharp and heavy hitting the ground behind me. I spun, heart lurching, my sword in a defensive stance. Fallon was there, moving to cover my back as always. Her eyes were wild, intenseâshe wasn't thinking about herself.
"Stay focused," I snapped, my voice a low growl.
She didn't say anything, but I saw the flicker of acknowledgment in her eyes.
She was still too damn close. Still too much in my line of sight.
And I knew thenâthis wasn't just a mission for her. It was personal. She was fighting for me, as much as she was fighting for herself.
And that was the last thing I wanted.
But I wasn't going to stop her.
I couldn't.
We fought side by side, a well-oiled machine, each move instinctive, each strike perfectly timed. But as the battle raged on, the truth became undeniableâI was watching out for her, just as much as she was watching out for me. I was making sure she didn't get hurt. I was the one keeping her safe.
And maybe, just maybe, I was starting to realize something that terrified me even more than the fight in front of us.
I didn't want to live in a world where I had to keep her alive. Because that meant she mattered more than I was willing to admit.
And it meant that I might just be falling for her.
The fight raged on longer than I expected, each swing of my sword cutting through the air with purpose, each movement calculated. The Brotherhood's men weren't amateurs. They were skilled, relentless, and organizedâjust like we were. But we had the advantage of experience, of knowing how to work as a unit. Aela and I had fought together countless times, and Fallon, though her inexperience showed in some of her movements, adapted quickly, like a wild storm, unpredictable but lethal.
I could see her from the corner of my eye, her sword flashing with brutal elegance as she dispatched one of the attackers. But that damn voice in my head kept whispering warningsâkeep an eye on her.
I couldn't shake it. Not when I saw her push forward, her face set in determination, her movements graceful despite the chaos surrounding us. Every time I turned my attention back to the fight, there she was, in the thick of it, always too close to the danger.
It pissed me off. How could she not see what I saw? How could she not understand the risk?
"Fallon!" I barked, not caring if I sounded harsh.
She whipped her head around, meeting my gaze with fire in her eyes. "I'm fine, Kane."
She always said that. I'm fine.
But I wasn't convinced.
Another attacker charged at me from the side, and I barely had time to react, stepping into the strike and cutting down the man in one fluid motion. But it was a mistake. That moment of distraction was all it took.
A loud crack rang out just behind me.
I whirled, my heart in my throat. Fallon was on the ground, a sharp cry escaping her lips as she clutched her side. A sword, not hers, had grazed her. A cut. A deep one.
My stomach twisted.
"Fallon!"
I was at her side in an instant, pulling her to her feet, my hand at her waist as I supported her weight. "I got you." The words left my mouth before I could think, before anything else mattered.
"You're hurt," I growled, my chest tightening with a fury that surprised even me.
"I'm fine," she snapped, pushing me away despite the blood soaking through her tunic.
I didn't give her the satisfaction. My hand tightened around her arm as I lifted her chin, forcing her to meet my eyes.
"No, you're not."
Her defiance was thereâof course it was. But I could see the vulnerability in her eyes, the way she wavered just for a moment before shaking her head.
"I'll keep fighting," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I couldn't help itâI reached out, brushing the hair away from her face, a small act of care that caught me off guard. "Not like this. You're not useless, but you're bleeding. Get back. Now."
Her breath hitched, and for a brief second, she looked at meâreally looked at me. Her expression softened, the walls around her cracking just enough for me to see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.
"I can't," she whispered, voice breaking slightly. "I won't leave you."
I felt the weight of her words. The sincerity in them. It pissed me off more than it made me relieved.
I wasn't some hero who needed her to save me. I was the one meant to protect her.
"I'm not giving you a choice."
I couldn't look at her anymore. Not when I saw that vulnerable side of her, the part I didn't want to acknowledge. It made everything more complicated. And right now, complications were the last thing I needed.
I pushed her behind me, turning to face the battle ahead with a cold detachment. My sword sliced through the air, taking down another attacker as I maneuvered in front of Fallon, my body a shield between her and the rest of the chaos.
"I'm fine," she muttered behind me, though I knew it was more for herself than me.
I didn't let myself look back at her, didn't let myself think about the way she'd looked at me. If I did, I'd lose my edge.
And I needed that edge. Needed to stay sharp.
The Brotherhood's men were starting to fall back, but not before I saw one of themâtaller, more menacingâclose in on Aela. She was outnumbered, fighting fiercely, but the odds were stacking against her.
"Damn it," I muttered, adrenaline surging through me.
I glanced over my shoulder once more, meeting Fallon's gaze for a brief second. The look on her face was unreadable, but it was enough.
I didn't give her a choice this time.
"Stay here," I ordered sharply. "Do not move."
She opened her mouth to protest, but I didn't give her the chance. I moved, faster than I thought possible, darting toward Aela's side with all the fury I could muster.
I could feel Fallon's eyes on me, could hear her voice fading behind me, a mix of anger and concern. But I didn't let it stop me.
Aela needed me.
I reached her in time to knock the man off balance, delivering a brutal strike to his side. He crumpled to the ground, but more men came rushing in. I didn't hesitate, moving fluidly, instinctively, with Aela backing me up. We fought as oneâsilent, seamless.
The battle seemed to stretch on forever, but eventually, the last of the attackers fled, disappearing into the forest like ghosts in the wind.
I stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, the adrenaline finally fading from my system.
The battlefield was quiet now. The sound of the forest filled the air once more, the quiet, oppressive stillness I had grown so familiar with.
But then the reality hit.
I turned, my eyes immediately finding Fallon. She was standingâbarelyâher hand pressed to her side where the cut had been, but the blood had already started to slow.
I didn't move toward her yet. I couldn't.
Her eyes were locked on mine, and I could see it. The understanding. The realization. That look in her eyes was one of quiet strengthâbut it wasn't the same strength I saw before.
It was something different. Something I wasn't ready to face.
But it didn't matter.
Not yet.
Not until I knew she was okay.
"Come here," I ordered, the harshness in my voice not entirely out of anger. I wasn't mad at her. Not anymore.
She met me halfway.
I kept my eyes trained on her wound, my fingers grazing over her side as I inspected it. It wasn't as bad as I first thought, but I wasn't taking any chances.
"You're lucky," I muttered, trying to focus on the practical side of things.
Fallon didn't respond. Instead, she reached up, her fingers brushing lightly over my cheek.
My heart stuttered in my chest.
I couldn't stop it. Not when I felt that small, simple touch.
It hit me harder than any of the blows from the battle.
Maybe it was time I stopped pretending.
Because there was no running from this. No running from her.
Not anymore.