The city blur past as Dorian's car tore through the early morning streets. Zariah gripped the door handle, her pulse racing as fast as the rain now falling in sheets against the windshield.
"Who were they?" She demanded voice tight.
Dorian's hands clenched the steering wheel. "Not the police, not random thugs. They were sent to stop us from seeing what's on the drive."
Her heart sank. "So, it's real. All of it."
"It's real." His voice was low, deadly serious. "And now, they know you've seen it."
Zariah stared out at the wet streets, the city unfamiliar a d menacing. It felt like nothing was safe anymore, not the cafes, not the apartment, not even Dorian's steady presence beside her.
They sped into a parking garage beneath an old hotel. Dorian killed the engine and turned to her. His eyes, usually so controlled, blazed with something raw.
"We can't go back to your place, it's not safe."
"Where, then?"
"My apartment, I can keep you hidden until I figure out who's behind this."
Zariah shook her head "I don't want to hide."
Dorian reached across the console, his hands crossing over hers. "Please, Zariah, just tonight, let me protect you."
The vulnerability in his voice undid her resolve. For all his secrets, she could see it, he was scared for her.
And maybe for himself
---
Later, in Dorian's apartment, a sleek space high above the city, Zariah stood by the window, watching the storm. Her reflection in the glass looked like a stranger: a woman caught between grief and fury, trust and doubt.
Dorian approached silently like a shadow. His finger brushed a damp strand of hair from her cheek. "You're shaking."
"I don't know who I can trust anymore."
" Start with me" he said quietly.
His mouth was on hers before she could answer, his kiss soft at first, then deeper, urgent. She responded without thinking, without fear, needing the connection, needing something real.
The city roared below, the storm raging around them. But in that moment, the only thing Zariah could feel was him, the heat of his skin, the strength of his arms, the truth in the way he held her like he might never let go.