Chapter 55: You Were Always Mine

Elias didn’t let go of her. Even after the last body hit the floor, after the scent of gunpowder thickened the air, after the world finally settled into an eerie silence, his grip on Lila stayed firm, his fingers curled around her wrist, grounding her, keeping her here. With him. Her breath was heavy, her body still humming from the adrenaline, her lips slightly parted, the edge of a smirk playing at the corner. She loved this. The fight. The fire. The moment when survival and instinct blurred together into something intoxicating. And damn if it didn’t make Elias want to ruin her all over again. She looked up at him then, her honey-brown eyes dark, searching. She wanted something. Maybe an answer. Maybe a promise. Maybe something more dangerous than both. His grip on her tightened as he pulled her closer, his body still vibrating from the way she moved, the way she had fought at his side like she had been made for it. Lila tilted her chin, smirking slightly. “What now?” Elias exhaled, his lips barely moving. “Now I take you.”

Her breath hitched, but she didn’t look away. “Then do it.” Elias moved before she could blink, before she could think, before she could challenge him. One second, she was standing there, teasing, testing, and the next, her back was against the cold wall, his body flush against hers, his hands gripping her hips, his mouth crashing against hers with something raw, something unhinged, something he could no longer hold back. Lila gasped against his lips, but she didn’t hesitate, didn’t falter. She met him, matched him, took everything he gave and demanded more. Her fingers curled into his shirt, yanking him closer, pulling, clawing, owning. God, she knew exactly how to break him.

Elias groaned into her mouth, his hands sliding up, fingers tangling in her hair, angling her head just the way he wanted, deepening the kiss until neither of them could breathe, until nothing existed but the way she felt, the way she tasted, the way she fit against him like she had always been meant to be here. His lips trailed down her jaw, to her throat, his teeth grazing against her pulse, feeling the rapid beat beneath his tongue. For him. Always for him. Lila let out a sharp breath, her nails scraping against his shoulders, dragging down his back, leaving marks he never wanted to fade. “Elias,” she murmured, her voice wrecked, breathless.

He gritted his teeth, his forehead pressing against hers, his fingers pressing into her waist. “Say it again.” She smirked, her lips brushing against his. “Elias.” He growled, crashing his mouth against hers again, harder, deeper, until she melted against him, until the tension bled into something hotter, something heavier. Something that had been building between them for too long. His hands roamed, learning her all over again, claiming her, marking her, owning every inch she gave him. Lila gasped when he lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist instinctively, her body arching into his as he pressed her harder against the wall. Her lips were swollen, her skin flushed, her breath coming in short, shallow pants.

Elias grinned against her throat. “I love how wrecked you get for me.” Lila let out a sharp laugh, her fingers tugging at his hair. “You talk too much.” Elias smirked. “Then shut me up.” And she did. She kissed him like she wanted to tear him apart, like she needed him closer, like he was the only thing in the world that could keep her together. And God, maybe he was.

Because she was the only thing that had ever made him feel alive. The room was still thick with heat when they finally slowed, their bodies tangled together, their skin damp, their breaths uneven. Elias hadn’t meant to lose himself in her like that. But he had. Again. And again. And again. Lila lay against his chest, tracing lazy circles along his stomach, her fingers featherlight, almost absentminded. But he knew her too well. He knew she was thinking, planning, trying to stay one step ahead even when she should be resting. He slid a hand up her back, pulling her closer, pressing his lips against the top of her head. “Don’t.” Lila sighed, shifting slightly, her breath warm against his skin. “Don’t what?” “Don’t think about him. Not now. Not here.” She exhaled slowly, her fingers stilling against his skin. “I can’t help it.” Elias clenched his jaw. Julian King had taken enough from them. He wasn’t taking this too.

He rolled suddenly, pinning her beneath him again, his hands bracing on either side of her head. Lila gasped, her eyes wide, her breath catching, but she didn’t fight him, didn’t push him away. She never did. Elias lowered his head, his lips brushing against hers, his voice a low growl. “You’re mine.” Lila’s fingers slid into his hair, tugging just enough to make his breath hitch. “Then prove it.”  Elias’s eyes darkened. And he did. Again. And again. And again. The sound of Harper’s voice shattered the moment.

Elias barely had time to move before the door burst open, Harper’s expression unreadable, her gun still in her hand. Something was wrong. Lila sat up instantly, reaching for the nearest weapon, her body still humming from what they had just done but her focus already sharpening. “What happened?” Harper’s jaw tightened. “We have a problem.” Elias clenched his fists, already feeling the shift, already sensing the weight of the next fight pressing against them. “What kind of problem?” Harper hesitated for half a second. Then

“He took someone.” The air disappeared. Lila stilled. “Who?” Harper’s next words sent a chill straight down Elias’s spine. “Your sister.” Lila’s entire body locked. And then, just like that, the world shattered all over again.