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A thud sounded.

All went silent.

Naia gaped at the darkness Ronin’s fingers provided. Her stomach curdled.

Ronin said something to the sobbing bartender. Naia tried to listen, but her ears rang. He lugged her out of the bar. It felt as if the wire connecting her brain and body were disconnected. Her feet moved, but she wasn’t sure how.

The cool night air attacked her skin, jarring her out of her shocked state of mind.

She ripped her hand free from Ronin’s and ground her heels into the cement.

The hard, unmerciful look on his face was replaced with a softer, remorseful one. “Naia, I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“You killed him.” Her breath came out uneven against her chattering teeth.

“Your sister had already gotten to him,” Ronin said. Not defensively, but matter of fact.

“I-I don’t… know—” Her lungs were tight and no matter how much air she sucked in, she couldn’t grab onto enough. Ronin had shielded her from seeing the man’s light leave his eyes, but she’d stood close enough to feel his presence leave his skin. It triggered memories of Kaleo, smiling down at her seconds before his soul drifted away.

And Marina. She was in the city. Watching. Waiting.

She’s going to kill him just like she did Kaleo?—

Naia folded over, catching herself on her knees.

Ronin devoured the arm’s length of space between them and embraced her. His chest expanded as he inhaled. “Naia, breathe.” He exhaled long and slow.

She focused on the rhythm of his chest moving against hers. The strong stride of his heartbeat. Hints of sage and jasmine stuck in his clothes. The familiar molding of his arms around her. His body pressed against hers.

Resting her chin on the top of his shoulder, she mimicked his breathing.

“I know how much you hate violence,” he said, his tone raw with despair. “It’s why I didn’t want you to come with me.”

Did she regret coming along? This version of him was what she had wanted to see.

Naia squeezed her eyes shut. “You planned to kill him all along.”

“I’ve tried being someone who chooses mercy, but in the end, that only gets those I love killed.” His voice softened, and he cupped the back of her head, holding her tightly. “I respect your feelings, and I will do everything in my power to shield you from the harshness of my actions and the world. But hear me when I say this, Naia.” He paused, and she could feel the tightening of his jaw against her cheek. “If they threaten you, they do not walk out alive.”

27

A NIGHTMARE

Naia slumped down on the bedside. The plush fabric of Ronin’s bedspread rubbed against the backs of her thighs. The room was dark, except for the city lights streaming in through the sliding glass door to the balcony.

She rooted herself in the feeling of the cool wooden planks beneath her bare feet; the rows of books in front of her on the shelf that divided the living room from the bedroom.

Naia chewed on her bottom lip, staring at the spine of a book she’d never heard of before. Ronin, lounged out on his couch with it in his hands, hair mussed and face relaxed, was an image she longed to see. Simple and lazy. Perhaps on a Sunday. She’d read how Sundays were supposedly slow days of the week for mortals.

His feet appeared between hers, covered in his slippers. She raised her chin to look up at him. Half of his face was hidden by a shadow, the other visible by the silvery glow of the lights. His hair was windswept from the drive.

She’d requested fresh air, and he turned up the music and let her hang her head out the open window.

Five minutes after the encounter with the informant, Noah and his crew arrived to erase all evidence of the fight and the man’s corpse. Naia had stood off to the side with her arms folded, trying to untangle her emotions and feelings. Ronin kept quiet the entire drive, allowing her time to process.

Now, here he stood, frowning. Looking at her with eyes that felt like they cradled her soul.

Her mind was busy.