Page 16 of Mystic's Sunrise

My heart pounded, breath hitching. His gaze didn’t waver.

“Breathe with me,” he murmured, slow and calm, like he’d done this before. Inhale. Exhale.His voice made the world stopped spinning just enough for me to breathe.

I matched him, ragged at first, then steadier. Panic receded like a tide pulling away from shore.

Tears burned my eyes, part relief, part exhaustion.Why is he being so… kind?

His lips twitched in something close to a smile.

“See? Not so bad. Told you, you’re safe. Nobody’s gonna hurt you here.”

Something inside me—something fragile and cracked—believed him.

Or maybe it was just the exhaustion dragging me under again. My eyes grew heavy, my body sinking deeper into the mattress. But before darkness claimed me, I glanced at him one last time.

That connection sparked again—silent, wordless. Trust.

And then… nothing.

CHAPTER NINE

WHAT THE HELLwas I doing?

The room had gone quiet, just the faint hum of the old ceiling fan overhead and the soft, uneven rhythm of her breathing. The kind of quiet that got under my skin, making my thoughts too damn loud. I sat in the same chair, elbows resting on my knees, eyes fixed on the woman lying in the bed. We had nothing on her. No name. No explanation for why Dragon Fire had her. Just a bruised, broken woman wrapped in more questions than answers.

Her face was a mess—swollen, bruises painting her skin in shades of purple and red—but even that didn’t hide the softnessunderneath. And those eyes… I couldn’t stop seeing the look she’d given me. Trust.In me. People didn’t look at me like that. Not with this face. Not with these scars. Most flinched or turned away—hell, women especially. I didn’t blame them. But her? Even through the pain, even as her world fell apart… she looked at me like she saw me. Not the monster everyone expected. Just… me.

I scrubbed a hand over my jaw, rough stubble scraping my palm.Don’t get involved, my head warned.You don’t know her. Don’t make this your problem.

But my chest twisted at the thought of walking away. Not after what those spineless bastards had done to her. No woman deserved that. Not even someone tangled up in Dragon Fire’s shit.

The door creaked open. Devil stepped in, closing it softly behind him. His boots scuffed against the floor, his gaze flicking from me to her, then back. “You’ve been in here a while,” he said. Not a question. Just a statement with that undercurrent of curiosity he rarely showed outright.

I grunted. “Someone’s gotta keep watch. If she wakes up again, I don’t want her alone.”

Devil leaned against the wall, arms crossing over his chest. “Didn’t peg you for the Florence Nightingale type.” A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, but those eyes—yeah, they were sharp. Watching. Reading me like he always did.

“I’m not,” I muttered. “But she’s been through hell. Feels wrong leaving her like that.”

“No one’s saying toss her out on her ass,” he countered. “I just find it… interesting, that’s all. Out of everyone, you’re the one camped out at her bedside. Chain thought you’d be the last to give a damn. So did I.”

Couldn’t even argue. Devil, Chain, and I—we went way back. Been through enough shit to know when something was off. And yeah, this was off.Iwas off.

Dragging a hand down my face, I exhaled slow. “Hell if I know why. Just… somethin’ about her. The way she looked at me. No fear. That doesn’t happen often.”

He nodded thoughtfully, jaw tightening. “Yeah, well… don’t let it mess with your head too much. We don’t know who she is or why Dragon Fire was holding her. Could be nothing. Could be a shitstorm waiting to land on our doorstep.”

“I know.” Didn’t change the clawing in my chest, though. Didn’t change the fact that walking away felt like leaving something unfinished.

Devil pushed off the wall. “Gatsby’s digging, trying to pull any intel he can. We’ll figure out who she is soon enough, hopefully before this bites us in the ass. Just… keep your head on straight. No need to get tangled up in something if it turns ugly.”

Everything was already ugly, I thought, but I just nodded. “Got it.”

He reached for the door but paused, glancing back over his shoulder. “And Mystic? Iamjudging, man. Just… keep your guard up. People come with baggage. Especially ones who end up in vans like that.” His gaze lingered a beat longer before adding, “Just be careful and remember, yeah?”

“Appreciate the concern,” I shot back, voice dry as hell.

Devil smirked, the kind that said he knew I was lying to myself, and slipped out, leaving the room heavy with silence again. I leaned back in the chair, muscles stiff from hours of sitting. Rubbing at the tension knotted in my neck, I glanced back at her.