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Taking my silence as my defense against him, Alaric steps even closer, his hands on my cheeks, wiping the remnant tears still left on my cheeks.

“Let me protect you both, wild one. Let me help you.”

I want to tell him that Lina and I have been fine on our own. We’ve never needed anyone to protect us. We’ve never needed the man who hurt me to be there for us.

But wasn’t it Alaric who came through for us today? Wasn’t it he who protected us against Julian a few minutes ago?

“You’ve helped enough.” The words feel like sandpaper against my tongue.

“I’m not taking no for an answer, Lila. Call me a bastard, get upset with me, but I'm not leaving you and Lina to Julian’s madness.”

Right, because we are his girls?

“What if he’s the father? What if the truth comes out and Julian—”

“Then we deal with it then. Right now, let me do this for you.”

I bite my lip, torn about giving in and letting him in when I've been trying so hard to keep him out.

I don’t want to need him. I don’t want to fall into his orbit again. But Lina…she needs peace. She needs safety. And Goddess help me, I need to stop feeling like the floor might cave in at any second because Julian is going to come after us again. I just know it.

“Fine,” I give in. “We play pretend. But this doesn’t mean I forgive you. Or trust you.”

His jaw tightens, but he nods. “Understood.”

“And I’m only doing this for Lina,” I add, and that earns me a warm smile from Alaric.

“Then let’s do it right. Move in with me.”

I blink. “What?”

“I have the space. The security. You and Lina will be safe there.”

My stomach twists. I know what this is. I know it’s smart. Logical. The right move to keep Julian away.

But Goddess, the idea of living with Alaric…of waking up under the same roof, of seeing him every day, of pretending to be something we’re not?

It’s terrifying.

And bound to be intoxicating, because part of me already remembers what it felt like to fall asleep wrapped in his powerful arms. Part of me still aches where he touched me.

“Just until this blows over,” I say tightly.

He nods. “Just until then.”

But we both know that’s a lie.

Because this? This is how everything changes.

And deep down, we both feel it.

Chapter Eighteen

LILA WINTER

“I can confirm that Lina is doing okay, Miss Winter.”

The healer smiles at me with assurance. Given his attire, his practiced smile, his warm eyes, you’d think I would trust the guy. That he knows how to do his job. But you would think wrong.