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Khalani was always beautiful, even covered in dirt and grime, but witnessing her determination and relentless spirit made his heart stir, something it hadn’t done in years.

She cast a spell on him, drawing him further in with each passing day, and Takeshi was helpless to ask to train her again.

Just one last time, he told himself.

That would be it.

But then she opened her soul to him, and no force beneath the surface could’ve stopped him from kissing her.

There once was a cliff in Apollo that Takeshi used to dive from as a kid. It wasn’t very tall, but all the local kids would stuff mattresses under the drop zone and leap off, one after the other.

His mother only saw him do it once before she ran over, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back inside, yelling at him for scaring her half to death. But in that one moment of free-fall, he was weightless, and nothing mattered in the world but the air flowing over his body.

That’s what kissing Khalani felt like.

He wanted to dive into her skin and memorize every freckle, bump, and imperfection—everything that made Khalani uniquely her—because every square inch was a masterpiece.

In the casino, he was incredibly close to knocking Raziel unconscious, wrecking their mission, and taking her away so no one else could lay their eyes on her in that fucking dress.

Raziel reminded Takeshi to play his part correctly.

But he wasn’t pretending.

Every touch and moment with her made him hyperaware of his body.

Nothing else took up space in his mind. Nothing else mattered.

And that was the problem.

Takeshi wasn’t talkative or affectionate. He preferred to spend his time studying everyone else for weaknesses.

He never spoke of the eerie sensation inside him. The discomforting need for destruction that’d been present ever since he graduated from training in Genesis.

Takeshi hid those volatile thoughts well. But that side of him had grown in intensity ever since he tore off the Governor’s head.

But when Takeshi was with her, he wanted to be the opposite.

He yearned to give her, the beautiful girl who dwelled in the dark, the same peace she’d selflessly given him.

Khalani accepted Takeshi for who he was, not who she wanted him to be.

So, he was done.

Done denying her. Done fighting this inexplicable pull between them.

His eyes closed as the right word finally surfaced. Love.

He loved her.

Loved her with every ounce of his being.

Loved her like the stars love the night sky.

And once freedom was theirs, he’d spend every moment proving it.

The Dealer continued to watch him with tense eyes as Takeshi discreetly pulled on the chains.

When the prisoners finished their morning shift, they entered the cavern for food. The head Dealer strode over, his pale hand resting on the butt of his rifle, the stars on his black uniform gleaming under the harsh, white light.