Chapter One Hundred & Sixteen

Chapter One Hundred & Sixteen
Nora's P.O.V

Leo shifted slightly behind me, his hand sliding from my waist to rest more loosely now, the intensity of earlier replaced with something steadier.

“You’re not sleeping alone tonight,” he said.

I glanced back at him, one brow lifting slightly.

“Wasn’t planning to.”

Killian stepped forward then, closing the distance just enough to make his presence felt again, grounding the space between all of us.

“Get some rest,” he said. “Tomorrow’s not going to be quiet.”

No.

It wasn’t.

I slid off Leo’s lap slowly, my feet hitting the floor, the cool ground a reminder that the moment had shifted completely now.

I looked between them once more.

“Tomorrow we handle family,” I said.

Leo nodded.

Killian’s gaze sharpened.

“And then,” I added quietly, “we go to war.”

Morning came quieter than I expected.

No alarms. No shouting. No chaos.

Just warmth.

I woke tangled in Leo—completely wrapped up in him, one of his arms heavy around my waist, my leg thrown over his without even remembering when I’d moved like that. His body was solid against mine, steady and grounding in a way sleep hadn’t been in a long time.

For a second, I just lay there.

Breathing.

Letting the stillness exist before everything came rushing back.

Then I laughed softly.

“Leo,” I murmured, poking lightly at his side. “I need to get up.”

Nothing.

Typical.

I poked him again, a little harder this time.

His grip tightened instantly.

Not waking fully—just reacting.

“Leo,” I tried again, smiling despite myself.

His blue eyes opened slowly, already focused on me like he hadn’t really been asleep at all.

“Not yet,” he muttered, voice rough from sleep.

Before I could argue, he pulled me closer, burying his face into my neck, his breath warm against my skin as he exhaled.

I huffed a quiet laugh, my hand coming up to push lightly at his shoulder.

“You’re impossible.”

“I’m comfortable,” he replied, not moving an inch.

I rolled my eyes, but my hand slid into his hair anyway, fingers threading through it without thinking. He leaned into it slightly, like that was exactly where he wanted to be.

“We have a full day,” I reminded him. “Nick and Amelia are coming. Jenna needs to be handled. Killian’s already probably ten steps ahead of both of us.”

“Five more minutes,” he said.

“You said that ten minutes ago.”

He didn’t answer.

Just stayed there, completely unbothered, like the world could wait if he decided it should.

I let out a breath, my fingers still in his hair, my body not exactly trying to escape anymore.

Because as much as I knew we needed to move—

This?

This felt rare.

Quiet.

Safe.

For a few seconds longer, I let myself stay there.

Then I tapped his shoulder again, softer this time.

“Seriously,” I said. “We need to get up.”

He sighed into my neck, finally lifting his head just enough to look at me again.

“Fine,” he muttered.

But he didn’t let go.

Not right away.

I finally pried myself from him, slipping out from under his arm despite the way it tightened like instinct didn’t want to let me go.

“Don’t even,” I muttered, laughing under my breath as I made my escape.

I moved across the room, grabbing my clothes, tossing pieces aside until I found what I wanted. The cool air hit my skin as I dressed, slipping into red lace, adjusting it into place like armor I didn’t think twice about.

A low growl sounded behind me.

I smiled.

Of course.

I turned just slightly, still in my underwear, catching the look on his face—eyes red again, locked on me like he hadn’t blinked.

“Leo…” I warned, but there was no heat behind it.

Just amusement.

I turned back around, pulling on my bra, then my ripped jeans, sliding them up and fastening them before reaching for my black tank. I tugged it into place, grabbed my sneakers, and bent to pull them on, running a hand through my hair as I straightened.

“You can’t lay there all day staring at me,” I said over my shoulder. “Get dressed.”

A low grunt answered me.

Then the bed shifted.

I glanced back—and yeah, now it was my turn.

He stood there in nothing but boxer briefs, completely unbothered, tattoos stretched across his chest and arms, every line of him relaxed but ready in that way he always was.

Dangerous, even half-asleep.

I didn’t look away right away.

Didn’t rush it either.

He noticed.

Of course he did.

“Problem?” he asked, one brow lifting slightly as he reached for his jeans.

I smirked, leaning back slightly against the dresser.

“Just making sure you’re actually awake.”

He huffed a quiet breath, pulling on his jeans, then grabbing a black tee and dragging it over his head in one smooth motion.

“Trust me,” he said, stepping closer, voice lower now, “I’m awake.”

I shook my head, pushing off the dresser.

“Good,” I replied. “Because we’ve got a full day.”

His eyes shifted slightly at that—back to focus, back to control.

“Nick,” he said.

“And Amelia,” I added.

“And Jenna,” he finished.

I nodded.

“Yeah. All of it.”

The room felt different now. Not quiet. Not soft.

Ready.

I grabbed my phone, checking the time.

“We should go find Killian before everything starts moving,” I said.

Leo didn’t argue this time.

He just nodded once, stepping beside me.

And just like that—

The calm was over.

We found them in the dining room.

Full spread laid out like nothing had happened the night before—eggs, fruit, pastries, coffee already poured. The kind of calm that only exists when everything underneath it is anything but.

Killian sat at the head of the table, untouched plate in front of him, a cup of coffee in one hand and a file open beside it. Focused. Already working.

Of course he was.

Jenna was halfway through a bite of something when she noticed us.

Her eyes flicked up first.

Then widened just a fraction.

Then narrowed.

Slowly.

“Well,” she said after she swallowed, setting her fork down with a quiet click. “Good morning.”

Her gaze dragged between me and Leo, taking in everything in one pass—my hair, my clothes, the way Leo stood just slightly behind me, close enough to matter.

Nothing missed her.

Nothing ever would.

“Morning,” I said, unfazed, stepping further into the room.

Leo didn’t say anything, just gave a small nod as he moved with me, his presence settling behind me like it belonged there.

Killian glanced up from his file, his eyes landing on me first.

Then Leo.

Then back to me.

A brief flicker of something unreadable crossed his expression before it disappeared behind control.

“You’re up early,” he said.

I grabbed a cup, pouring myself coffee.

“We don’t have time to waste,” I replied.

Jenna snorted lightly. “Yeah, I figured that part out when the house started exploding last night.”

I leaned against the edge of the table, wrapping my hands around the mug.

“We need to talk,” I said, looking directly at her.

Killian closed the file.