OWNED BY THE DEVIL
I leaned into him, just enough for balance, just enough for comfort, just enough to let him measure me, not weakness, not dependence, but truth.
The building hummed, alive again, lights, sensors, comms. All returning after the temporary null. Teams shouted across the halls, reconvening, reporting, resuming. Yet here, in this corner, we existed outside their timelines.
“You know,” I whispered, “this doesn’t end today.”
“No,” Dominic said. “Phase three will start in twelve minutes.”
“Do you sleep?” I asked quietly, almost teasing, though my throat felt dry.
“Do you?”
“Sometimes,” I admitted.