Page 107 of Us Dark Few

“Khalani.” Takeshi gazed deep into her eyes. “It’s taking all of my self-control not to barricade this room, make you scream with pleasure and take away every bit of torment you’ve endured in this place.” His jaw tightened as if he were battling the urge to do just that.

“But you can’t,” she finished for him.

“Not now.” Takeshi seethed. “And if you don’t want this to happen again, I understand and will keep my distance. But if you do, it’s notover for me. To be honest…I might never be over you.” Deep lines marred his forehead, as if his own admission surprised him.

His words stirred a torrent of emotions within her.

Navigating them felt like climbing a cliff without a harness. The fear of falling was constant and endless, but she kept going for the hint of freedom at the top. And the fact that she was scared made the decision easier.

Because the things worth pursuing required the most effort.

“It’s not over for me, either,” she whispered, relinquishing her truth.

Takeshi released a deep sigh, leaning his forehead against hers.

For a second, a fleeting breath in a human lifetime, time slowed down for them. When his skin rested against hers, there were no titles or restrictions, no qualms or antagonist retorts. They were simply two people surrendering to the demands of the heart.

Takeshi’s heated breath against her lips made her chest tighten with raw emotion, desire flooding her once more, but he pulled away. With a chuckle, Takeshi shook his head, but his dark eyes were scorching.

“We better go now, or else my hands and tongue will be all over you, and we won’t leave this room until tomorrow.”

Oh no…

Not that…

Takeshi grinned devilishly at the expression on her face.

After she finished changing back into her uniform, he grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the exit. Khalani’s brows rose to her hairline at the sight of their entwined hands. She wanted to say something, but coherent sentences refused to form, as if her brain had checked out the moment Takeshi’s lips met hers.

When they left the training room, Takeshi squeezed her hand, reluctantly letting go as they strode through the desolate halls. Silence permeated the air, his face twisting in a promise of violence as they veered closer to her cell.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave you in this cell,” Takeshi hissed indignantly, his jaw ticking.He was like those sleek jungle cats she had learned about in school. Swift and calculating, waiting to strike and devour.

“I’m used to it now,” Khalani said. “The roaches don’t bother me, nor do I bother them. Very symbiotic relationship we’ve got going on.”

Takeshi grunted and opened the bars. “We’ll talk more tomorrow, okay?” His eyes were pensive but tinted with hope, a sentiment rarely seen from Takeshi.

She nodded, afraid that if she spoke, the entirety of her heart would spill over. After that day, no force, not even herself, could abnegate her feelings for Takeshi Steele. And judging by the way he clutched her in his arms and kissed her with wild abandon, Takeshi was unable to deny those vehement emotions either.

Takeshi’s brows drew low as her bars slammed home, and they stared at each other through the barrier, remnants of their heated thoughts rippling in the space between them. His expression hardened as if preparing for war before he marched out of sight.

Maybe that’s what she needed to do.

Prepare for war.

If there was anything Khalani had learned in her short, tumultuous life, it was two rules:

Every action had a consequence.

And the truth always came out.

Always.

They would either be free or dead when that happened.

****

Takeshi didn’t arrive to conduct the cell block count the next morning. Another guard with cold, grey eyes, twice Takeshi’s age, stood in his place.

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