Page 202 of Fractured Allegiance
I sit up, press my palms against my eyes. My body aches from tension, from lying awake listening for any sound of him. Footsteps. A shift in weight. The faint creak of leather when he adjusted his stance.
At some point—maybe three in the morning—I moved to the door. Put my back against it.
And I swear I felt him do the same on the other side.
Two inches of wood between us.
And a thousand reasons we couldn't speak.
I wanted to knock. Wanted to whisper his name. Wanted to tell him I understood. That I heard what he couldn't say when he brought me dinner.
When I whispered the name to him. Elias Voss.
I saw it in his eyes—he heard me. He understood.
But I don't know if it was enough. Don't know if he'll call Elias. Don't know if Elias will even help.
Too many variables. Too many ways this could go wrong.
I slip out of bed. My feet touch the cold marble.
The room feels emptier than it should.
I'm still wearing the black slip dress from last night—the one they laid out for me like a costume. I haven't changed. Haven't showered. I just lay there all night, listening, waiting, hoping.
A knock at the door startles me.
I step back.
The door opens. Not Silas. Not Dom.
Drazen.
He's dressed in a charcoal suit, crisp and controlled. His eyes sweep the room once—assessing, calculating—before landing on me.
"Good morning," he says, like this is a hotel and I'm a guest.
I don't answer.
He steps inside, closes the door behind him. "I trust you slept well."
"As well as anyone locked in a room can."
His mouth twitches. Not quite a smile. "You weren't locked in. You were protected."
"Is there a difference?"
"There is when I'm the one doing the protecting."
He walks to the window, looks out at the city. His reflection in the glass is sharper than his body.
"Your guard performed admirably last night," he says casually. "Silas. He was professional, detached. Exactly what I needed to see."
My pulse spikes, but I keep my face neutral. "I wouldn't know. I was in here."
"Exactly." He turns to face me. "And he stayed out there. All night. Didn't try to talk to you. Didn't open the door unless instructed. Didn't show any sign of... attachment."
The word hangs in the air like a threat.
