Sera was watering the plants. "Hey," he whispered, startling her where she stood. Her eyes widened, and her hand flew to her chest in response. Nate chuckled, circling around her to lean against the railing. His eyes sparkled with a mix of warmth and amusement as he looked at her."You should be in bed. What are you doing here?" Sera asked, resuming her work. "I was missing the view. It's stunning as ever, truly unmatched," he replied, his gaze fixed on her with deep admiration. Sera paused and looked at him. He quickly turned towards the woods, pretending to enjoy the view. "I want to hide it from every other gaze. Keep it where only I can see," he shared his darkest desire with no hesitation. Her beauty was his possession, his treasure. Only for him to indulge in. Sera had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't talking about the view. But she didn't bother to dwell on it and got back to her work. Nate's gaze shifted back to her and followed her every movement with rapt attention.
She woke up to a clammy back and his arm draped heavily across her waist like a weight. The woman tried to scoot away, but his heavy arm around her denied even an inch of space. She eventually gave up with an exasperated sigh. As his boulder-like body kept her pinned in the spot, Sera rolled on her back and fixed him with a scathing glare. The man was fast asleep, peaceful and utterly unaware of the discomfort he was causing her. Clingy even in sleep. She pressed her palm to his cheek. The fever was finally gone, but madness remained. No surprises there. She couldn't understand how he was even lying on his side with a wounded chest. She held his arm with both hands and tried to get it off her, only for him to stir and groan in protest. "Sleep, princess," he murmured in sleep, pulling her closer. Now she wasn't even able to move her hands. How was she supposed to sleep when even breathing felt like a challenge. She stared at the wall for what felt like an eternity before sleep fina
A soft click, and within a second, light flooded the room. She closed her eyes tightly, blinded by the sudden brightness.A few moments passed before she opened her eyes. He wavered in her vision, gradually sharpening into focus. Concern etched his features as he looked at her. "'Bad dream?" he questioned softly. She wiped a tear with the back of her hand and nodded. "I.... I didn't mean to disturb your sleep," she explained, breaking their eye contact.“I was awake,” he responded. Noticing her trembling, Nate added, “Come here.”"I'll..I'll leave. You should sleep," she said and rose to her feet. He needed the sleep to recover, and she needed to learn how to face her fears. "Come here," he repeated, his voice gentle but firm. Sera exhaled a sigh and slowly crossed over to the bed. With her head downcast, she sat down in the chair, her hands clasped together."You're safe here," he assured her in a soft voice. Sera raised her gaze only to notice thick dried trails of blood marring
Sera swallowed. Her name was deeply woven into his skin for eternity. She stood at a loss, unsure how to react. Questions churned in her head. When did he even get it? For how long had it been there?She suddenly reached out and brushed her fingers over it, tracing her name just to be sure it was real.But Nate wasn't prepared for it. The first graze of her finger against his had him clenching his jaw. The physical contact with her was no short of a test for his sanity and control. He was trained into a hard shell, unbreakable, impenetrable, but one touch of her and he would open like petals to the sun. So fucking vulnerable. He wanted her to stop, but at the same time, he ached for her to keep going. Her fingers found their way to the center of his chest. They lingered there for a beat before she quickly pulled away, startled by the frantic pounding of his heart. Her wide eyes shot to his. Nate didn’t look away. There was something in his gaze, burning, intense, that made her drop
"I thought you would want to see your family," Sera explained in a quiet voice. She would have wanted her family around after being almost killed. In response, Nate walked towards her. With his every step, her heartbeat stuttered wildly. He stood close enough for her to feel his body heat. Her gaze remained downcast, yet the weight of his stare burned into her skin. "You assume a lot of stuff, don't you?" he taunted, voice taut with disapproval. "You assumed Armando would be good to you, so you drugged me and ran off to him." Sera's gaze snapped to his, a flicker of dread dancing in them. Nate was clearly fuming. "I had warned you against him, but you still had to do that. What were you even thinking? You really thought you would be able to help Dyson?" Nate scoffed. "Armando was never going to help. Not you. Not him." "I...I was desperate," Sera answered, now aware she had made a mistake. "Your desperation....your desperation almost killed me," Nate growled, eyes blazing with
"Calm down," Angela murmured gently, her palm light on his tense shoulder. Nate turned his gaze to her, uncertainty flickering in his eyes."We are your family, Nate, not your enemies," Ara reminded him, her voice tinged with hurt. He acted as if their presence was a threat to his very existence. So much mistrust and grudges for his own parents. Sera had sensed there was some distance between him and his parents, but she hadn't expected the rift to be this wide. The room was strung tight with tension. Mrs. Serrano expressed her hurt openly, her eyes locked on her son with silent pain. Mr. Serrano, on the other hand, remained stoic, indifferent on the surface. But Sera knew better than to believe that. He was hurting too.The guilt twisted inside her. Had she broken a family? "Did Dave inform you?" Nate questioned, his expression had softened a bit. "I... I asked him to call," Sera cut in, offering a nervous smile. Nate glanced at her, his expression unreadable. Ignoring the knot in