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H is eyes opened just barely. A wave of agonizing pain washed over him before he could understand where he was. Kyle Larsen squinted in the dark and let out a muted groan. The wind hustled in with a loud howl, and he turned his head, wanting to feel it brush his skin.

His eyes were only barely open when he saw the curtains flutter. His vision blurred for a second. And suddenly, it was clear.

Because there, sitting on the windowsill with a gun in her hands, sat Raylene Walker.

Kyle screamed, but it was muffled by the oxygen mask on his face. Shit, shit, shit, he couldn’t help but swear as his fingers twitched uselessly. Here, he was a prey. He was a dead man. Because Raylene was looking at him with murder in her eyes.

“Shh,” she whispered, and a tear seeped out of the corner of his eyes, “Quiet Kyle. Let’s not ruin this.”

It was the first time he’d ever regretted waking up.

* *

Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her jeans for the fifth time in the past fucking hour. Ray silenced it and adjusted the sunglasses on her head before stepping out of the bustling airport. The sun shone down on her face, all warm. So different, so much better than that cold, cursed island. And with half of her deeds completed, there was some time she could spend in peace–

Ring !

Ray growled out loud this time, scaring the people who were walking beside her as she suddenly dropped her hands to her sides. She didn’t care, just fished her phone out of her pocket and answered the call aggressively,

“Yes,” she began before the person on the other end could speak, “He’s alive. Yes, I interrogated him and found no problems. No, I didn’t fucking leave him, he’s on a flight here right about now. And for the last time Sorin, he’s ALIVE!”

She panted as she finished her rant and looked up to find the crowd of people steering clear of her, their glances half terrified. Ray sighed as Sorin Ardelean cleared his throat from the other end,

“Thanks for that.” He said, “But that’s now what I– oh shit,” the voice cut off abruptly and Ray’s brows furrowed as a series of muffled yells echoed from her phone, “…Ray? Ray, you there?”

“Yes–”

“Get the hell here now.” Sorin snarled and grunted, “Your boyfriend’s here and he’s about to kill Akash.”

God damn it.

Ray huffed but hung up immediately, rushing ahead to find a taxi. Her brunette wig swayed roughly against her shoulders as she extended a hand to call for the first taxi she saw. She was dead to the world, to everyone except the very handful of people who knew. That was why when a taxi finally screeched to a stop before her, she increased the pitch of her voice and made it unrecognizable.

“Hi,” she said and the man who lowered the window visibly flinched at the voice. She didn’t blame him. She did too. Ray attempted a small smile and lowered her sunglasses to reveal a pair of blue contacts. She was wearing a white crop top that hugged her body sleekly over beige, baggy denims .

It was the perfect outfit for the summer of the city, especially when she wanted to pose as a rich city girl. The man seemed to notice as she recited her address and saw him nod his head vigorously. Ray let out a breath of relief and pulled the door open.

The car ride to her place was meant to be silent. Was meant to pass by in a moment’s breeze with her worrying about Angel not killing Akash before she got there. But then she’d sighed deeply, and the older man had looked at her from the rearview mirror in slight concern,

“You alright Miss?” he asked, a hint of accent hidden in his words as he brushed a lock of grey hair off his forehead and placed his hand back on the steering wheel. His deep voice was enough to jar her out of her thoughts enough for her to go erect and stare straight ahead,

“Yes,” she replied in a smooth voice, schooling her emotions back into nonchalance, “Why do you ask?”

She hadn’t expected the man to bark out an amused laugh at her words. But he did, and her brows scrunched nonetheless, “Is something funny?” she asked, forcing the bite out of her voice. The man shook his head, his shoulders shaking as he drove,

“Miss, I have a daughter your age. Even she can’t change her expressions as quick as you did,” he said in a loving voice, his eyes straying to a picture hanging up ahead. Ray’s gaze softened as she eased back in her seat,

“I’m afraid I have a bit of practice.”

“Ah,” the man said, a bit solemnly for her taste, “That’s not good. You must not let anything cut you off from this world.”

“And if this world isn’t good enough to be in?”

The man’s eyes widened, and he rubbed his beard in thought, “Well, that’s a big question for a young lady,” he said ,

“I think my wife would have a good answer for it.” Ray saw him look at the photo again and took a closer look. There were two women in the picture, one slightly older with darker skin. One that mirrored her daughters. Their smiles were wide and happy. Were the exact same. Ray couldn’t help her own quirk of lips.

God, she missed her mom.

“She would’ve said something like how this world can’t really survive without good.” He continued and Ray looked at him with a small smile, “The balance thing you know.”

“And what would you say?”

The man hummed again, “I’ve been in this world for what forty years now– don’t look at me like that! I’m not that old.” He said in mock offense, but Ray kept her brow arched, not believing him for a second.

The man sighed and amended, “Fine. Fifty years now.”

Ray laughed then, a small sound that ran with the wind. When she looked back up, she saw the man’s small eyes crinkled at the edges, and a small grin lifted his lips,

“And I would say, if you can still laugh despite everything,” he said in a gentle tone that settled deep within Ray’s heart, “Then the world’s doing a fine a job after all.”

Ray laughed again and was about to respond when he pulled into the familiar neighborhood and stopped before a house, she hadn’t been able to visit in years. He must’ve seen the longing and despair in her eyes, because just as he parked the vehicle in front of the large building, he turned over his shoulder and shot her a knowing smile,

“Make room for the world that understands you, Miss,” he said, and Ray turned to look back at him, unable to hide the sheen in her gaze as h e

nodded his head and tipped an invisible hat, “The ones who don’t aren’t worth it.”

She grinned softly at that and returned his gesture before reaching into her bag to remove her wallet, “How much?” she asked, maintaining her fake pitch after all. She’d almost lost it before but had managed to disguise it as a lower tone. She removed the two bills when he clicked his tongue and crossed his arms,

“You can do better than that Miss,” he said, and Ray scoffed before looking up to find his eyes twinkling with mischief, “I did provide therapy as well.”

Ray shook her head but pulled out two more bills and handed them to him firmly, keeping her facade up as she removed the sunglass off her head and placed it in the bag, “Thank you, sir,” she teased and laughed as he dipped his chin.

“Your name?” she asked, and the man grinned as if no one had asked him the question before,

“Zahir miss.” He said and Ray nodded, “And yours?”

Ray subdued a grin as she opened the doors to the taxi and stepped out, “You’re better off not knowing my name Mr. Zahir.” She said faintly and closed the door. She didn’t see the man tip his head but did hear his faint laughter as he reversed the taxi and disappeared onto the street once again. Ray breathed out. Waited for two seconds.

Three. Four.

And started walking to her right. The building she actually had to go into was the one they’d passed already. She knew she was being paranoid, but couldn’t risk it. Not when everyone was assembled here . Not when this was their sanctuary. She wasn’t going to put any of them at risk .

When she finally walked into the large building, her shoes barely hissed as she walked carefully on the marble floor. Her gaze strayed to the guard standing erect on one end, and a wave of nostalgia washed over her. She fought to keep the grin off her face when she saw the woman rush forward to stop her. Ray only hid a grin and said in a low voice without looking up,

“There’s an afterlife too you know, Ciera.”

The woman stilled, her hand stopping midair. Ciera Wilson, their guard for ages now, was quick to school her expressions back to nonchalance but couldn’t hide the relieved gleam in her eyes. Good enough, Ray thought but didn’t stop to talk, just strode ahead with a hand in the air until she reached the elevator and stepped in.

Ray only let her smile drop when the doors shut and pressed the top floor button. She let out a breath and removed the lens holder from her bag before sliding the blue contacts out from her eyes and placing them in the container.

The building dinged just as she placed her sunglasses back on her eyes and watched the doors whoosh open. Ray breathed out, unable to conceal her excitement at the thought of being back here again. At the thought of winning.

Just like everything though, the thought was short-lived.

“…you ass – ”

Ray jumped at the muffled voice that echoed through the corridor and blinked as a series of thuds and crashes followed the words. Her expression dropped to disdain, her hold on her purse tightening as she all but ran in the direction of the door of the penthouse.

The key was in her hand when she reached the door and was about to open it when a thud slammed against the door .

Ray jumped, a shiver raking down her spine before she stuck the key in the lock and sent one last prayer up to the universe,

“God give me strength.” She managed to whisper before pulling the door open.

And gasped as she took the mess inside.

“Man, let him go!” a familiar voice screeched just as Ray groaned and ran inside, making sure to close the door. She ripped her wig off as she jumped over the glass shards on the floor and the broken couch in the living room.

“ You tell me where she is – ”

“Oh my fucking God…she’s coming you dickhead – ”

Ray was breathing harshly when she ran towards the room on the far end of the house and screeched to a halt when–

Oh fuck.

Ray stilled. A gasp stuck in her throat when she saw Angel De Santos’s hands on Akash Smith’s neck as he shoved him against the wall, looking absolutely murderous . And despite all the others being in the room, despite her friends, his friends, failing to stop him, she couldn’t look away.

Him. And only ever fucking him.

When had it all gone so wrong?

His arm, his injured arm shook, and it all came rushing back. Him jumping in the way. The bullet. The war. The coma. His words. A hot bolt of rage shot through her chest.

Akash’s face was turning blue when his eyes finally snapped to hers and widened.

“There,” he managed to wheeze out before Ray’s thread of patience just… snapped .

“HEY!”

Angel let go of Akash so fast that the other boy fell on the floor loudly and began coughing immediately. Ray was breathing harshly when she saw Christina’s head whip in her direction and heard Luke’s gasp.

“So it’s true...” She heard Mia murmur but didn’t really give a shit.

Her eyes shot to Akash, who was scrambling on the wall to get up as Myra went to his side and pulled him up. She glanced back at Angel, making sure to keep her glare intact when he turned.

Almost weakened when she saw his amber eyes flare in relief. When the locks of his dark hair swayed with the wind. When she saw the bruise on his cheek.

Her eyes narrowed, “What the fuck are you doing?” she snapped and saw Angel arch a brow, completely unfazed as he faced her and tugged at the cuff of his sleeves,

“Trying to get some information around here,” he replied just as venomously.

“By wreaking havoc in my house?”

“My house actually.” Akash rasped silently but shut up when Ray shot him a deadly glare. Her ruffled hair slipped over her shoulder as she took a step forward.

“Well, you weren’t here. So, I thought I’d get acquainted.” He continued icily, “You did fake being in a coma. Who knows what else you’re hiding?”

A hell of a lot.

“Out.” She snapped without breaking her gaze from Angel’s. And when none of them moved, her voice dropped an octave,

“Everyone fucking out. ”

One by one, following Akash and Sorin, the girls filed out of the room behind her. The only ones left were Angel and his people. His group. They didn’t move an inch. Her brow arched, her heart wild in her chest.

“How do you want to do this, Raven?”

Angel’s dark eyes flashed. But his lips parted with a low,

“Go.”

And the others filed out with scathing glares in her direction. Raylene didn’t give a shit. All she cared about right now was that look in Angel’s eyes. The way he was pulling back the sleeves of his shirt as if he was preparing for war.

Good. She’d been preparing for the same since the night of the massacre.

Since his confession.

Angel De Santos was slow death. Was absolute torture when he took a step forward and started first in a dark, dark voice.

“You lied to me.”

Raylene Walker didn’t flinch.

“How long?” he asked when she didn’t reply. His expression was thunderous, all dark hair and lethal eyes when he stepped forward, “How long have you been lying? Why have you been lying?”

“People see what they want to.” Ray said finally, tipping her chin to face him, “People believe what they want to. It’s not my fault no one stopped to question me.” But she didn’t care about this . Didn’t want to explain this.

All she wanted was to clear that image of him jumping in her way that day.

All she wanted was…clarity.

Was him close and utterly gone. Away from her .

“You–” Angel started but Raylene was done. She wanted answers. And for the first time in months, she let herself show that rage she’d hidden.

“You hate me.” She sneered, dangerous enough to stop him in his tracks, “You said so yourself. You despise my presence. Then why,” she took a step forward, jabbed her fist against his hammering heart,

“ Why did you jump in the way?”

Why did you take a fucking bullet?

Her eyes snapped up. And watched as his face transformed to absolute outrage. Absolute agony and anger,

“ Why did I jump in the way?” his voice rose, shaking now. His chest moved, all ragged and done, when he took a step forward,

“You, were going to get yourself killed.”

“And?”

“And?” he barked back, his quiet rage fracturing, “What did you want me to do? Watch?”

“Yes!” she yelled back, “You interfered. You–” got fucking hurt, “You ruined my plans. Destroyed everything!”

Destroyed my heart.

“Ask me if I care!”

Angel was far closer than he’d been before, his amber eyes flaring dangerously as he got right into her face. He was sizing her up, but she returned the gesture with equal brute force. Even forced herself to stop her hands from shaking as she rubbed her brows harshly.

Angel saw the movement and moved ahead to grab her wrist and haul her hand away from her face. Ray glared up at him, her fingers balling into fists.

“No,” he said, shaking his head, “ Ask me why, Raylene. ”

Ray’s shoulders shook, her heart pounding harshly in her chest when she looked up at him, shaking and shivering with the hot fire running through her veins,

“You’ve always wanted me dead .” Ray managed to snarl back, unable to get the image of him down beside her out of her mind. Unable to stop hearing that bang over and over again, “You’ve always wanted me gone–”

“As have you.” He snapped back, “Ray.” He said, but she kept her gaze averted, her jaw ticking, “ Raylene Walker.”

“Look at me.”

Ray’s eyes snapped to his, a storm surging in her expression when she saw the same mirror on his devastatingly beautiful face.

“And listen to what I say very carefully.” The rage, the fury in his words made her still in his hold, “I might despise you. I might hate the way my mind sways when you’re near me. I might despise your heart-wrenching smiles and honest-to-hell rage,”

God. Fucking god.

“But if you thought for a single second that I was going to stand and watch you get shot, you need to reassess every single thing I’ve said to you this past week, Raylene Walker.”

He shook. Shuddered. Shattered.

“Because I sure as hell didn’t want you gone.”

Raylene didn’t think. She didn’t want this. She hated this. She just crumbled.

“ What about me?” she yelled back, and watched his eyes dart across her face, but she only clutched at her chest, “You think I wanted to see you get shot because of me? You think I wanted you dead?” her voice fractured at the words, the pain from before rushing back .

She took a step back.

And Angel took a step forward.

“There was no way you were getting hurt on my watch.” His snarled, all angry and hers,

“Not then. Not now. Not ever.”

Just once and amidst that rage, that anger they’d forgotten their proximity. They’d forgotten who they’d become to one another. But he hauled her closer, hating their distance just as much she hated it. Despising the way their hearts hammered as if–

As if this was–

“I lost you once, Storm.” Angel breathed, so close that she had to grit her teeth from letting the tears flood her eyes, “I’ve known you one fucking week, but the thought of not seeing you smiling, you glaring, you hating me again was–”

Death.

It was death.

Ray’s entire body caved towards him, hauled in by his arm, by the angry look in his eyes.

“You hate me?” she whispered.

Angel’s gaze flickered to hers, darting around, imploring, leaving her raw. His eyes were in absolute agony when he glanced up and said,

“What do you think, Storm?”

Her gaze flickered, and she knew he was watching her. Was waiting. Stupid, stupid boy.

Ray didn’t answer his question.

Just inhaled one sharply and wove a hand around his neck and up into the mess of his hair to pull him closer .

Close enough that she could make out his coffee scent. Close enough that she felt him go still.

And she ached to close that distance. Wanted to haul him close.

But Angel’s eyes were depthless darkness when he looked at her and held her with such force that she broke.

“You do this, I’m never letting you go, Raylene Walker.”

Ray’s voice was a whisper when she stared back and felt his body shudder against hers,

“You keep your promise, and then we’ll see.”

“Fuck you, Raylene Walker.”

Ray blinked.

And Angel, the boy who’d gotten in the way of a bullet for her, who’d handled her drunk ass, who’d made promises without even knowing her, just twisted his hands around her body and haphazardly brought his lips down to hers.

It happened so fast, so quick that she wasn’t sure if there was air in her lungs. If there was enough blood in her heart to keep her alive.

Because Angel De Santos kissed and killed at the same time.

Ray’s response was quick. Was sharp and messy just like him. Her eyes fell shut, her chest rising as his free hand grasped the side of her neck and pulled her closer.

Angel kissed her frantically.

Explosively.

Like he couldn’t get enough.

And she hadn’t felt anything like this .

He moved his lips against hers with enough grip, with enough friction that a gasp left her throat, half moan half insane .

Angel breathed out, his chest rumbling with a faint sound of satisfaction as she raised her free hand and wrapped it behind his neck to pull him closer. Deeper.

And Angel, he moved them backward until her back touched the wall of the closed room. Didn’t stop kissing her.

This. This was what she’d been afraid of. What she’d been thinking of doing for days now.

And it was going to completely cause havoc on her plans, but as Angel moved closer. As he deepened the kiss and raised his hand to the back of her head to grasp strands of her hair and pull her closer, she couldn’t really care. Couldn’t breathe. Didn’t want to. And this was so stupid. It was so beautifully stupid.

But maybe she wanted stupid.

“Fuck you , Raylene Walker, ” he rasped when he pulled away by a millimeter. Ray groaned when he ran his hand through the mess of her hair, “For making a mess of me.”

He bit her lips and let go, stinging and easing at the same time.

“For destroying me with one glance.”

Her back arched but Angel only sucked all her air out of her by sealing their lips and letting go.

“For becoming a drug I’d never quit.”

Ray barely had time to gasp for air but didn’t care when he laced his hand around her waist and pulled her flush against him.

This time when he pulled away, that anger hadn’t dulled. It hadn't disappeared. It had simply morphed into something far more dangerous. Something more foreign and familiar at the same time.

It terrified her .

But that wasn’t going to stop him from getting him to keep his promise.

“I’m not going to stop.”

“Angel–” she began but he…

He did something completely different.

The world seemed to blur around her as he let go of her hand and the back of her head to wrap a careful but shaking hand around her neck, her cheek, her face to pull her closer.

A soft sound left her throat, but Angel’s eyes were darting all across her face, as if busy looking and memorizing every inch of her face. As if searching for any remnants of any injuries.

“Angel,” she tried again but he didn’t hear it.

No, he just hauled her into a tight embrace. Her hands froze against his chest, a gasp leaving her when she felt him shake. He burrowed his face in the crook of her neck, and she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think as she shook in his arms.

No one had done this. No one had gathered her in their arms like this.

“You’re actually alive.” He managed to croak out and she couldn’t help a soft chuckle. Had to stop herself from crying out loud, “This better not be a fucking dream.”

“Nightmare you mean,” she said with a wet chuckle, and he closed his eyes, breathing her in.

“Nothing with you in is a nightmare, Storm,” he said quietly and felt her shudder in his arms, “It hasn’t been for a while.”

Those words. Ray took a moment. Enough for him to go to tighten his hold on her and for her hand to suddenly wrap around his neck .

She heard him breathe out in relief as she tucked her face in his chest and rose on the tip of her toes to pull him closer. To breathe him in.

Coffee, cologne, and him. Only ever him.

“It hasn’t been for a while, huh?” she said lightly and laughed when his hold on her tightened,

“Don’t ruin this, Walker.”

“I won’t.” she replied and laughed again, “But seriously, I was dead for only one night.”

“Christ, I despise you.” He said but his words were muffled in her shoulder. Ray grinned into his chest,

“No, you don’t.” she sang.

“No, I don’t.”

And that was that.