Kai had always thought of himself as unshakable.
Cold logic. Quick wit. Untouchable behind his screens.
But now—locked in this gilded cage, haunted by fire-eyed stares—he felt himself splintering.
He sat at the desk, laptop open, but his focus was shattered. His fingers hovered over the keys, unmoving. Code blurred. His mind wouldn't stop replaying the night before: Lucias's gaze burning through him, that hand brushing against his skin.
You keep telling yourself that. But your eyes… they betray you.
Kai cursed under his breath and slammed the laptop shut. "Arrogant bastard."
The door clicked open. His head snapped up, pulse jolting.
Lucias stepped inside, dressed sharp as ever—dark shirt, sleeves rolled back to reveal veins and scars along his forearms. A man who was all danger wrapped in calm control.
"Still sulking?" Lucias asked, his voice carrying amusement beneath its weight.
Kai leaned back in his chair, masking nerves with a smirk. "Not sulking. Plotting."
Lucias arched a brow, moving closer. "Plotting? Against me?"
"Wouldn't that make things interesting?"
Lucias's lips curved faintly. "You think you can outplay me in my own den?"
Kai met his gaze evenly. "I think you're not as untouchable as you like people to believe."
For a moment, silence stretched, heavy and electric. Then Lucias's hand shot forward, gripping the back of Kai's chair. He leaned down, close enough that Kai could feel his breath against his cheek.
"You're right," Lucias murmured. "I'm not untouchable. Not to you."
Kai froze. His heart pounded traitorously loud in his chest. His mouth was dry, his body taut with conflicting urges: push him away—or pull him closer.
He swallowed hard. "Don't—don't say things like that."
Lucias studied him, dark eyes devouring every flicker of expression. "Why not? Because you'll believe me? Or because you already do?"
Kai shoved the chair back, forcing distance between them. He stood so fast it nearly toppled. "You're insane."
Lucias didn't stop him. He straightened, calm once more, but his gaze lingered—hungry, sharp, unwavering. "Maybe. But you're cracking, Kai. And I intend to see just how far before you shatter."
The words left Kai trembling, furious and shaken in equal measure. He wanted to scream. Instead, he clenched his fists, digging nails into his palms until pain grounded him.
"I won't give you what you want," Kai hissed.
Lucias's smile was slow, dangerous. "You already are."
---
Later that night, Kai lay restless on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Every word replayed, every stare replayed. He hated himself for thinking about it. For feeling it.
And yet, when gunfire suddenly erupted outside the mansion, instinct drove him to the window.
Shadows moved in the courtyard. Rival mafia again. Another ambush.
The door flew open. Lucias stormed in, gun in hand, his presence filling the room like a storm. "Stay behind me."
Kai opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, one of the windows shattered—glass raining in, bullets ripping through the air.
Lucias moved without hesitation, shoving Kai hard against the floor, shielding him with his body as shots tore through the walls.
The heat of him pressed against Kai, solid and overwhelming. His heartbeat thundered against Kai's back, strong and steady even in the chaos.
Kai's breath caught. "You're—"
"Shut up," Lucias growled, eyes sharp, firing back through the broken glass with deadly precision.
Kai didn't move. Couldn't. Not when Lucias was pressed so close, not when every breath carried the scent of smoke and steel. Not when he realized—Lucias wasn't just protecting him out of strategy.
He was protecting him like something precious.
When the shooting finally ceased and silence fell, Lucias didn't move right away. His body still hovered over Kai's, shielding, unwilling to pull away.
Only when he was certain the threat had passed did he push up slowly, his face mere inches from Kai's.
Their eyes locked.
And for the briefest heartbeat, Kai swore Lucias might kiss him.
But then Lucias stood, cold control slamming back into place. He extended a hand. "Get up."
Kai stared at it, chest heaving. Then, against every instinct screaming in protest, he took it.
Lucias's grip was firm, steady. Pulling him up, steadying him—not like a captor dragging a prisoner, but something far more dangerous.
Something closer.
---
Meanwhile, Mark guided Jas to safety during the firefight, his hand steady on their arm. Jas's voice trembled as they whispered, "Does this ever end?"
Mark shook his head once. "Not in this world."
Jas looked at him then, searching his face. "And yet… you stay."
Mark hesitated, his gaze flicking away. "Some people don't get to leave."
Jas's heart clenched at the rawness in his tone. They reached out, gripping his hand. "Then I'll stay too. At least you won't be alone in it."
For the first time, Mark's composure cracked. His fingers tightened around theirs, silently, desperately, as if holding on to something he didn't know he needed until now.
---
Back in his room, Kai sat on the bed, staring at the hand Lucias had grabbed only minutes before.
His skin still burned where they'd touched. His chest still raced from the weight of being shielded.
Lucias's words echoed again, cruel and true.
You're cracking, Kai.
And the terrifying part was… maybe he was.
---