CHAPTER 22

Kael doesn’t sit.

He stands a few feet away from Vera, far enough to watch her fully, close enough to feel the tension shift when she breathes.

“You don’t flinch,” he says quietly.

Vera doesn’t answer.

“Not when men raise their voices. Not when doors slam.” His eyes stay on her face. “But you stiffen when someone stands behind you.”

Her jaw tightens.

He catches it.

“That’s not fear,” he continues. “That’s training.”

Vera exhales slowly through her nose. “You enjoy this.”

“I enjoy patterns,” Kael replies. “And you’re full of them.”

Silence stretches between them. Heavy. Measured.

“What about Lina?” Vera asks.

Kael’s expression changes—just a fraction.

“She’s safe.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“She’s where she needs to be.”

Vera’s shoulders tense. “You keep saying that like it’s supposed to comfort me.”

“It’s not.”

She looks at him then, really looks at him.

“Then why say it at all?”

Kael steps closer. Not rushing. Not threatening. Just enough that she feels the shift in space.

“Because you’re listening.”

Her lips press together. She doesn’t look away.

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing,” she says, voice steady, “but you don’t get to play with people like this.”

Kael almost smiles.

“You think this is play?” he asks softly.

Her eyes flash. “I think you like control.”

“Yes.”

The honesty throws her off for half a second.

“And you,” he adds, “don’t react like someone without it.”

He moves past her slowly, circling once. Not touching. Watching how her muscles respond, how her weight shifts just slightly.

“You’re not scared of me,” he says. “You’re measuring me.”

She turns to face him. “You’re not as smart as you think.

”

He stops in front of the table.

“Maybe.” He picks up the knife resting there. Small. Balanced. Sharp.

Vera notices immediately.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

Kael doesn’t answer

.

He weighs the knife once in his hand, eyes never leaving her face

.

“You’re not going to move,” he says.

“That’s not a question.”

“No.”

She doesn’t step back.

Kael flicks his wrist.

The knife flies.

Fast. Precise.

Vera moves without thinking.

Her hand comes up and catches the blade inches from her face. Clean. Controlled. No hesitation.

The room goes silent.

She stares at the knife in her hand, then up at him.

“Are you mad?” she snaps. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Kael doesn’t look surprised.

He looks satisfied.

“That,” he says calmly, “was confirmation.”

She throws the knife onto the table. “You could’ve killed me.”

“No.” His voice hardens. “If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have seen it coming.”

She steps forward. “You don’t get to test me like I’m—”

In a second, he’s on her.

Kael grabs her and pins her against the wall. One hand beside her head. The other gripping her wrist—not crushing, not gentle.

“Do not raise your voice at me,” he says quietly.

The command lands heavy.

Her chest rises fast. Anger sparks in her eyes—but something else flickers beneath it.

“You threw a knife at my face,” she breathes.

“And you caught it.”

His face is close now. Too close. His presence fills her space completely.

“You were trained,” he continues. “Harsh. Early. No room for mistakes.”

She swallows.

“You don’t belong in my world,” he says. “But everything about you says you were built in one just like it.”

She meets his stare. “And you enjoy that.”

“Yes,” he admits again. “It fascinates me.”

His grip loosens slightly—but he doesn’t move away.

“You don’t beg,” he says. “You don’t lie well. You don’t fear power—you understand it.”

Her breath shakes once. “Then why am I here?”

Kael’s thumb presses lightly against her wrist. Possessive. Controlled.

“Because I want to know what erased you,” he says. “And because every instinct I have tells me you don’t walk away from people like me.”

She searches his face. “You’re dangerous.”

“I know.”

For a moment, neither of them moves.

Then his phone vibrates.

Kael glances at the screen.

A message.

Found something. Not a name. A program. Military-adjacent. Off the books. Tied to disappearances.

His jaw tightens.

He looks back at Vera—different now. Sharper. Certain.

“This conversation,” he says quietly, stepping back, “isn’t over.”

Her heart pounds.

He turns away.

And for the first time, Vera realizes—

Whatever they just started, there’s no stepping out of it.