The storm outside hammered against the roof like an army marching across the sky. Wind tore at the windows. Thunder shook the walls. The lights flickered once… twice… then steadied.
Anabeth stood frozen in the spacious sitting room, heart racing as Cassian's words hung in the air like smoke.
"You have no idea what you're doing to me."
He said it quietly, but the weight behind it struck her like a physical force. Cassian wasn't a man who let emotions slip. He was steel—trained, disciplined, cold when necessary.
But right now?
He was unraveling.
"Cassian…" she whispered.
He turned away abruptly, running a shaky hand through his hair. The storm lit the room in flashes of white-blue, the shadows emphasizing the lines of frustration on his face.
"I shouldn't have said that," he murmured. "I shouldn't even think it. But every time something happens to you, I—"
He stopped himself, jaw locking tight.
She stepped closer. "Tell me."
His breath caught. He glanced at her, eyes dark with everything he'd tried to push down.
"You make me lose control," he said softly. "And I can't afford to lose control. Not with the danger around you. Not with Rafael."
Her chest tightened painfully. "I don't want to cause problems between you two."
Cassian gave a bitter half-laugh. "It's already too late."
A flicker of fear mixed with something warmer rushed through her.
"Cassian… what exactly do you feel?"
He turned fully to her now. Not the guard. Not the second-in-command.
A man.
A man who was finally cracking under the weight of everything he wasn't supposed to want.
"I don't know what to call it," he said, voice low. "But when I saw that man following you today… my vision went black. I didn't think. I didn't plan. I only knew I needed to get you away."
Her breath trembled.
The room suddenly darkened—
the lights flickered—
then went out entirely.
Darkness swallowed everything.
A loud crack of thunder shook the floorboards.
"Cassian?" she breathed.
"I'm here."
His voice came immediately, steady but close.
Too close.
A faint emergency light glowed at the far end of the hall, casting the room in dim red shadows.
Cassian reached out in the dark until his hand brushed her shoulder. She jumped.
"Easy," he murmured. "I'm not leaving you alone in the dark."
Her pulse softened slightly. He guided her to the couch, his hand warm on her arm.
She sat.
He stayed standing in front of her, his silhouette sharp against the weak red glow.
"Power's out across the estate," he said. "Backup generator will kick in soon."
But the way he stayed right in front of her—close enough that she could feel his warmth—told her he didn't trust the darkness.
Or himself.
She looked up at him. "Cassian… sit with me."
Silence.
Then he slowly sat beside her, muscles tense as if fighting something inside him.
The rain pounded harder.
A branch scraped the window.
A gust of wind rattled the shutters.
Anabeth pressed her hands together. "Do you think Rafael's safe?"
Cassian exhaled. "Yes. He's not the one being targeted."
His implication was clear.
She shivered.
Before she could pull her arms closer, Cassian noticed the movement instantly. Without thinking, he reached out and wrapped his arm gently around her shoulders, pulling her against his side.
She stiffened for a moment — then relaxed.
"Better?" he asked, voice low.
"…yes."
His body was warm, solid, grounding. She could feel the steady rhythm of his breathing, a stark contrast to the chaos roaring outside.
Minutes passed.
The storm raged.
But inside, the tension grew slower, deeper.
Cassian's arm remained around her, but he kept his body stiff, like touching her was both a relief and a punishment.
Finally, he whispered:
"You shouldn't be here with me."
She leaned slightly closer, heart pounding. "Why not?"
"Because Rafael loves you," he said. "And I… I'm starting to forget what boundaries look like when you're near."
Lightning flashed.
For a brief instant, she saw his face—
the conflict, the longing, the fear of betrayal.
"Cassian," she breathed, "I don't want you to suffer because of me."
He laughed softly, bitterly. "It's not your fault. I've been fighting this since the first day Rafael assigned me to watch you. I told myself it would pass. But it didn't. It got worse."
Her eyes widened.
"You… liked me from the beginning?"
He met her gaze in the dim light. "I tried not to."
Something warm blossomed in her chest — unwanted, confusing, but undeniable.
Before she could speak again, the front doors slammed open.
Cassian shot to his feet instantly, shielding her.
But it wasn't the stalker.
It was Rafael.
Rainwater dripped from his coat; his hair was soaked; his eyes were blazing.
"Anabeth," he breathed, rushing toward her.
Cassian stiffened, stepping aside but staying close enough to intervene if needed.
Rafael knelt in front of her, cupping her damp cheeks gently. "You're okay?"
"Yes," she said quietly. "Just shaken."
He pulled her into a tight embrace, his relief palpable. She inhaled his familiar scent — dark, warm, comforting — but her heart beat unevenly.
Not because of Rafael.
Because of the way Cassian looked away, jaw clenched, as if watching them hurt him.
Rafael pulled back. "The man outside disappeared again. But he's close."
Cassian stepped forward. "We need to secure the estate perimeter and move her upstairs. The ground floor isn't safe."
Rafael nodded.
Then his eyes narrowed.
"Where were you standing when the lights went out?"
Cassian stiffened. "…with her."
"How close?"
Cassian didn't answer.
Rafael's voice dropped into a dangerous calm. "I told you to protect her. Not to get attached."
Cassian's eyes darkened. "You're not blind, Rafael. You knew this would happen."
"Then you should've fought it," Rafael snapped. "She's mine."
Silence fell like ash.
The storm thundered outside.
Anabeth's breath trembled.
And Cassian said the one sentence that shattered the room:
"If the only way to protect her is to step aside, I will—but don't expect me to stop feeling what I feel."
Rafael froze.
Anabeth looked between them, heart racing.
Two men.
One storm.
One truth forming between them:
This wasn't just danger anymore.
This was the beginning of a war of the heart.