I couldn't stop shaking.
Even after I was back inside the apartment.
Even after his arm steadied me.
Even after the world around me stopped spinning.
My body refused to calm down.
"What… were those things?" I asked again, my voice barely holding together.
My fingers curled slightly into the fabric of his shirt before I even realized what I was doing.
I froze.
Slowly, I pulled my hand back.
"I—sorry."
He didn't react.
Didn't comment.
But his eyes lingered on me for a second longer than before.
"They are drawn to disruptions," he said calmly.
"Disruptions?" I echoed, my voice still uneven.
"Things that should not exist."
A cold feeling settled deep in my chest.
"Like me."
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No softness.
Just truth.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to step away from him.
I needed space.
Even if my body clearly disagreed.
"That thing said I took something that wasn't mine," I said, pacing slowly. "What does that even mean?"
His gaze followed me, steady and unblinking.
"You took a life that was not meant to continue."
My chest tightened.
"I didn't take anything," I snapped. "I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!"
"That is often how it happens."
His calmness made it worse.
"Stop talking like this is normal!"
"It is not normal," he said. "But it is real."
I turned away, pressing my hands against my temples.
This couldn't be happening.
This couldn't be my life now.
"So now what?" I asked quietly. "These… hunters… they're just going to keep coming after me?"
"Yes."
The word felt like a blade.
My breath hitched.
"And you expect me to just live like that?"
"I expect you to survive."
I let out a bitter laugh.
"Those aren't the same thing."
"No," he agreed. "They are not."
Silence stretched between us again.
But this time, it wasn't empty.
It was heavy.
Full of things I didn't want to understand.
I turned back to him slowly.
"You said I can't stay away from you for too long."
"Yes."
"And if I do… I weaken."
"Yes."
"And if something like that touches me again…"
"You will die."
The words landed with finality.
No room for doubt.
No room for hope.
I stared at him.
At the man who had destroyed my life…
and was now the only thing keeping me in it.
"You planned this," I said suddenly.
His expression didn't change.
"No."
"But you knew what would happen."
A pause.
Then—
"Yes."
Anger flared again, stronger this time.
"You knew I'd be tied to you like this and you still did it?!"
His gaze hardened slightly.
"The alternative was your death."
"I died anyway!" I shouted.
"And I corrected it."
"That's not your decision to make!" I snapped.
For a brief moment—
Something shifted.
The air between us grew heavier.
His presence darkened.
"Your existence," he said quietly, "is now my responsibility."
The words hit harder than anything else.
Responsibility.
Like I was something he owned.
Something he had to manage.
"Don't say it like that," I whispered, my voice tightening.
"It is the truth."
"I'm not something you can just claim!"
His eyes locked onto mine.
Sharp.
Unyielding.
"You already are."
My heart skipped.
Then raced.
"That's not how this works," I said, though my voice lacked conviction.
"It is now."
I took a step back.
Then another.
But that pull—
That invisible chain—
Tightened instantly.
A sharp pressure hit my chest.
I gasped softly.
"See?" he said.
I clenched my fists.
"I hate this."
Silence.
Then—
"I know."
I blinked.
That wasn't what I expected.
"You… know?" I asked.
"Yes."
Something in his tone had changed.
Barely noticeable.
But there.
And somehow…
That made everything worse.
Because it meant he understood—
and still didn't stop.
I looked away again, my thoughts spiraling.
"What am I supposed to do now?" I asked quietly.
"You stay here."
I frowned.
"Here?"
"With me."
My chest tightened again.
"For how long?"
A pause.
"Until it is safe."
"And when is that?"
Silence.
Of course.
"Right," I muttered. "So basically forever."
He didn't correct me.
That alone said enough.
I let out a slow breath, running a hand through my hair.
"This is insane."
"Yes."
"And you're just okay with it?"
"I do not require comfort."
I glanced at him.
"No, I guess you don't."
Another silence.
But this one felt different again.
Less hostile.
More… tense.
Like something was shifting between us.
Something neither of us fully understood.
I walked toward the couch and sat down heavily, my body finally starting to feel the exhaustion catching up to me.
Everything that had happened…
It was too much.
Too fast.
I leaned back, closing my eyes for a second.
And immediately—
I felt it.
That connection again.
Stronger now that I wasn't fighting it.
Like a quiet pulse.
Steady.
Constant.
My eyes opened slowly.
"You're still there," I murmured.
"Yes."
I let out a small breath.
"I can feel you."
"I am aware."
That wasn't comforting.
But it wasn't entirely unpleasant either.
And that scared me more than anything.
I sat up quickly, shaking the thought away.
"No," I muttered. "No, I'm not getting used to this."
"You will."
I shot him a glare.
"Don't say that."
"It is inevitable."
"Inevitable doesn't mean I have to like it."
"No," he agreed. "It does not."
I hesitated for a moment.
Then asked the question that had been building in my mind since the beginning.
"What are you?"
Silence.
Longer this time.
He didn't look away.
Didn't hesitate.
But he didn't answer either.
"That's not something you can just ignore," I said.
"I am not ignoring it."
"Then answer me."
A pause.
Then—
"You would not understand."
"Try me."
His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer.
As if deciding something.
Then—
"Not yet."
Frustration flared again.
"You keep saying that!"
"Because it is true."
I leaned back again, exhaling slowly.
"Fine. Then tell me this."
He waited.
"Why me?"
The question hung in the air between us.
Heavy.
Important.
"Out of everyone… why did you bring me back?"
For the first time—
He didn't answer immediately.
His eyes shifted slightly.
Not away.
But deeper.
Like he was looking at something beyond me.
Something I couldn't see.
"You were there."
"That's not enough."
"It was."
"No," I said firmly. "It's not."
Silence.
Then—
Something unexpected.
His gaze softened.
Just slightly.
Barely noticeable.
But enough.
"There are reasons," he said quietly.
My heart skipped.
"Then tell me."
"Not yet."
I let out a frustrated sigh.
"Of course."
But even as I said it…
Something about his tone lingered in my mind.
Something different.
Something that didn't feel as cold as before.
And that—
That scared me.
Because it meant this wasn't just about survival anymore.
This wasn't just about fear.
Something else was starting to form.
Something dangerous.
Something I didn't understand.
I looked at him one last time.
At the man who killed me.
The man who brought me back.
The man who now stood between me and everything trying to end me again.
"You said I'm your responsibility," I said quietly.
"Yes."
I swallowed hard.
"And if something tries to kill me again?"
His expression darkened.
For the first time—
There was no calm.
No distance.
Only something sharp.
Something possessive.
"They will not succeed."
A chill ran through me.
"Because you'll stop them?"
His gaze didn't waver.
"Yes."
Something in my chest tightened.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something else.
Something I didn't want to name.
And for the first time since all of this began…
I realized something that made my heart race for a completely different reason.
As terrifying as he was…
As dangerous as this situation had become…
He was the only thing standing between me—
and everything else in the dark.
And somehow…
That might be even more dangerous than the monsters hunting me.