Page 139 of Forged

Neomi exhales as we step inside, the tension in her shoulders easing.

“This feels better,” she whispers, the exhaustion finally catching up to her.

Lars guides her toward the bed, helping her sit before lowering himself in front of her. His hands move carefully, brushing her hair back from her face, his gaze intent, searching for anything he might have missed.

“You need to rest,” he says.

She gives him a look, tired but amusement flickering through it. “You’re being intense again.”

“Yes, and I will continue to do so,” he replies, completely unapologetic.

A breath of laughter leaves her, but she doesn’t argue as he helps her lie back, adjusting the pillows behind her. I move to the other side, pulling the blanket over her, my hand lingering on her arm, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my palm.

Her fingers curl around mine instinctively.

“Don’t leave,” she murmurs, her eyes already beginning to drift shut.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her quietly.

Lars presses a kiss to her forehead, his hand resting briefly on her cheek before he stands, tension still threaded through every line of his body.

“Close your eyes, Bella. I need to go check in with Enzo,” he says, though it sounds more like he needs movement, something to do with the energy still coiled inside him.

“I’ll be right back.”

The door closes behind him.

I lie down next to Neomi and she curls into me. I run my fingers through her hair, so thankful to be holding her in my arms.

“Close your eyes, Little Siren.”

The bathroom doorshuts softly behind me.

For a moment, I pause, my hands braced against the counter, my reflection staring back at me. The war inside me has reached a breaking point. Seeing Neomi in that hospital bed, watching Lars crumble, it was almost too much to bear. I have a deep-seated need to protect them, to keep them safe.

I realize the hypocrisy in that, because I’m about to put them in danger.

I pull my phone from my pocket.

The screen lights up with seven unread messages. All from Sera. My nerves light up, knowing I need to face her questions. I open the thread.

What do you mean compromised?

Gabriel, answer me.

You do not disappear on me now.

I need confirmation. Immediately.

Do you have access to the system?

The most frightening message sits at the bottom, sent last night.

You have forty-eight hours. Produce the key or I send everything.

The words land hard, heavy with threat.

The emails will contain everything I’ve done. Everything I’ve hidden. Everything that would burn through the people in the next room without mercy.