Page 9 of Make Me Your Hitta

The memory of our time flooded me. It was right here, in this godforsaken pool. It was a perfect day. I’d tried to hold back my feelings, and then…

“You don’t understand,” she’d spat, those fierce eyes boring into me. “You can do whatever the fuck you want.”

I’d grabbed her then, forgetting everything I shouldn’t be feeling. “The only thing I want to do is kiss you, Nobi.”

“Then do it.”

And then we were kissing, all tongue and feelings and want. It was wrong, so fucking wrong, but it felt like coming home. She’d roamed my body with her hands as I set her on the edge of the pool, tugging at the waistband of her bikini bottoms. I shook my head, trying to rid the thoughts. That was then. This is now. I had a job to do.

“I can’t keep doing this,” I muttered while running a hand over my beard. “I can’t protect her if I can’t fuckin’ think straight.”

But even as I said it, I knew it was all bullshit. I’d burn down the world for her if I thought it would keep her safe. I’d destroy myself if it came to that. And that terrified me more than any threat outside the Hawthorne walls.

I pushed off from the wall, squaring my shoulders. Whatever happened, whatever I felt, I’d do my duty and keep her safe, even if it meant never touching her again.

“Bring it on, mothafuckas,” I whispered to the night. “I’m ready for you.”

As I made my final round of the estate, the shadows seemed to lengthen, reaching out with long, grasping fingers. The air grew thick and heavy with an unnatural stillness that made my jaw tighten. Something wasn’t right. I paused by the rose garden, Xenobia’s second favorite spot. The crimson flowers looked almost black in the moonlight. A twig snapped somewhere in the darkness, and I whirled, hand trained on my gun.

“Who the fuck is there?” I called out, my voice a venomous growl.

Silence answered me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. My skin crawled, every instinct screaming danger. I looked around, trying to find the source, only to see my team walking their stations.

It's probably just a rabbit.

I turned to head back inside, and a flicker of movement caught my eye. There, just beyond the gate—a figure, barely visible in the gloom. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving me to wonder if I’d imagined it in my paranoia. My phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump. A text from an unknown number:

Unknown:Tick tock, watchdog. How long can you keep her safe?

I stared at the screen, my blood running cold. My father’s men were here, closer than I’d thought. Somebody knew my secret and was fuckin’ with me. As I hurried back to the house, the night seemed to press in around me, full of unseen threats and whispered promises of violence to come. The game had changed, and I feared none of us were ready for what was coming.

Xenobia

Ifelt his eyes on me before I opened mine, lurking in the corner of my bedroom like some brooding statue. I stretched unhurriedly, pretending I had the luxury of him not being here, though my skin prickled with awareness. What had happened after he’d ordered me to my room like a child? His jaw was clenched tight, dark circles rimming his eyes. Something must have gone wrong. But I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of asking.

I padded to my vanity, the cold marble floor shocking my bare feet. In the mirror, I caught a glimpse of Adonis’s reflection—stoic and watchful as always. A muscle in his cheek twitched before he averted his gaze.

“You gonna stand there all day or what?” I snapped, running a brush through my tangled curls. “Why are you even in here?”

He ignored me and remained silent, infuriatingly so.Fine.Two can play that game.

I went about my morning routine, hyperaware of his presence but refusing to acknowledge it. He would only be in my room for one reason. Someone had made a move, and he didn’t trust anyone else to ensure I was safe except him. A part of me felt violated that he’d been in here, probably watching me as Islept. And yet, the traitorous part of me welcomed his protective presence. I hated myself for it, but I couldn’t deny the feeling of safety he brought.Damn him.

I needed an escape, however brief. Snatching up my phone, I tapped my best friend Damara’s name, desperate for a dose of normalcy. I walked out of my room and down the hall toward the library.

“Hey, girl, hey.” Damara greeted me when she picked up on the fourth ring.

I immediately huffed into the receiver. “Hey, girl. You willnotbelieve the morning I’m having.”

“Oh Lord, here we go. You’re lucky I’m literally about to get my latte. Is this about you know who?”

Knowing we were on the same page, I launched into a rant about Adonis, my words dripping with annoyance. “He’s just always there, y’know? Breathing down my damn neck, watching my every move like a trained hawk. It’s so fucking suffocating I could scream.”

Damara’s amusement tinkled through the phone. I cut my eyes at Adonis standing in the doorway, wondering if he could hear me. His expression gave nothing away. I didn’t give a fuck if he did.

“Would it kill him to crack a smile occasionally?” I continued. “Or, I don’t know, have an actual conversation that doesn’t end in the wordsI’m here to protect you?”

But even as the complaints poured out like hot lava, I felt the undercurrent of something else. Something I wasn’t ready to examine too closely. The way my pulse quickened when he was near. How I found myself seeking him out, despite my protests.

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