14. Layla

14

LAYLA

I'm wrapped in an iron-clad, suffocating burrito smelling of leather and oak.

Kaden doesn't let me leave his side as we trek through the backwoods and he escorts me home, convinced more Bonesaws are hiding in the bushes readying to ambush us.

Actually, escort is too nice a word. My left arm is numb from how tightly I'm molded to his chest. Every time I shift, his hand clenches around my arm, pressing me harder against him. I'm afraid if I tell him my left side is asleep, he'll just roll me up tighter and I'll no longer be able to breathe. Death by leather sushi roll.

Not a bad way to go, but I have too much to do before meeting my maker.

"I've been thinking," I venture to say.

He hasn't let me speak since we left his warehouse, but we're far enough into the woods that I'm willing to risk it.

Kaden grunts an acknowledgment.

Kaden . That's his name. Even having my mind whisper it warms my tummy .

"The illegal AI that Morelli wants, I think I can erase it," I say.

Kaden grinds us to a halt. "What?"

Me, ever one to sense when I've stepped over the line, continues on unabashed, "If I can get into Pulse's basement and access their mainframe, I can wipe all the data. We wouldn't have to worry about Morelli getting his hands on it anymore."

Kaden seems to consider this, the muscles in his cheek working as we resume our trek. I crane my neck to study his face, refusing to break eye contact despite the ache building in my spine. His arms latch around me, fingertips digging into my flesh.

Kaden's deliberate silence magnifies the forest's sounds. The clacking of branches, the rustle of nocturnal animals hunting and foraging. The scent of pine trees and wet earth overwhelms Kaden's delicious smell, even with my nose squished against his shirt.

"No," he says at last.

"But why not?" I counter, frustration bubbling up. "I know what I'm doing. I've gotten in their system before."

The scar on Kaden's face seems to darken. "I don't care whether Morelli gets the AI or not."

I plant my feet, my sudden stop causing Kaden to collide with me. When the toes of his boots crash into my ankles, I swallow the howl that wants to escape.

Kaden lowers his chin to glare at me, his breath hot on my cheeks. "Do that again, and I'll truss you up like a spider's meal. You'll dangle from these branches, swaying with every breeze, while I decide whether to come back for you ... or not."

The blood drains from my face, leaving me lightheaded. Kaden's true motives snap into focus with terrifying clarity, each implication more awful than the last .

A villain doesn't want to save the world. He wants to watch it burn. And that's exactly what Kaden is.

He isn't here to truly protect me or save the world from Morelli's machinations. He's here for his own selfish reasons, his vengeance consuming him until nothing is left but its destructive path.

I'd been foolish to think Kaden's actions were anything more than revenge, no matter how many times he's saved me.

A cynical laugh escapes my throat. Kaden furrows his brows.

"Stop that," he snaps before clamping a hand on my shoulder and propelling me forward.

"Why?" I challenge, shrugging off his hold. My voice sounds hollow, even to me. "Is joy and laughter your enemy, too?"

Kaden freezes, his body going stiff. For a heartbeat, his habitual apathy slips, revealing a maelstrom of pain and fury behind his gaze. His hand shoots out, fingers wrapping around my throat—not squeezing.

Time seems to slow. I'm acutely aware of every point of contact: his calloused palm against my jugular, his thumb resting on my pulse point. My breath comes in short, shallow gasps, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

Our eyes lock. This close, I can see flecks of gold in his irises, lightning joining the storm.

I should be terrified. I am terrified. But there's also that exhilarating rebellion he brings out in me to stand my ground, to face him head-on rather than surrender.

"You're so fucking clueless," he snarls, voice muted. But there's a tremor there, barely perceptible. "Out here, starry-eyed dreamers like you end up as vulture food. Bury that shit deep."

Kaden's fingers flex against my neck, his grip tightening incrementally, and for a terrifying second, I wonder if this is how it ends—not at Morelli's hands, but at the mercy of the man who's both my savior and my captor. The man who's awakened something inside me, a reckless disobedience that refuses to cower, even as my pulse hammers beneath his touch.

But then, as abruptly as he grabbed me, Kaden releases his hold, leaving me gasping and unsteady on my feet. He turns away, his broad shoulders a wall between us, and when he speaks again, his voice has returned to that controlled, emotionless cadence.

"Move. Now."

I hesitate, rubbing my throat, the phantom pressure of his fingers lingering on my skin. The smart thing would be to obey, to fall in line and keep my mouth shut. But I've never been one for the easy path.

"Kaden," I push. "This isn't the way. You can't let your hatred consume you. There's still good in this world, still things worth fighting for beyond revenge."

He coils, then rounds on me.

"You have no idea how deep my hatred runs," he says in a lethal whisper, the words grating against his throat like broken glass. "No clue what I've endured, what I've lost. There is no good left in this world for me."

The anguish in his voice, fresh and bleeding, drowns my heart.

But I also fortify myself, squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin.

"Then tell me," I challenge. "Make me understand. Because from where I'm standing, you're just a walking weapon aimed at everyone, including yourself."

Every muscle of Kaden's is primed like a spring under immense pressure. A rhythmic tic flutters along his jawline. For a moment, he seems poised on the edge of violence. Then, unexpectedly, a bitter laugh escapes him.

"You think you've got me all figured out, don't you? Let me tell you something, Wraithling. Death isn't the enemy here. It's just another tool. And I'll use every damn utensil at my disposal to get what I want."

He pauses, his mask slipping—revealing the man he buried alive.

"As for my humanity?" His voice drops to an undertone, coarse and jaded. "I carved that out a long time ago, along with everything else that made me weak."

Kaden pulls back abruptly, as if realizing he's said too much. His veneer of cold indifference slams back into place. "Walk. We're not having this conversation in the middle of the woods, out in the open."

Pine needles crunch under my feet as I force my legs to move, to follow his retreating form through the undergrowth.

As we trudge onward, I study the rigid lines of his back, the tension in his shoulders. The scar on his face, I realize, is more than just a physical mark—it's a manifestation of the wounds that have shaped him, the violence that has driven him to this point.

The impulse to reach out, to offer comfort or understanding, rises within me, but I tamp it down. Kaden's walls are too high, his defenses too impenetrable. Any attempt at connection would likely be met with scorn or, worse, viciousness.

Kaden maintains a punishing pace, his long strides eating up the distance while I scramble to keep up. Branches claw at my arms, and exposed roots threaten to snare my ankles, but Kaden moves through the brush like a seasoned hunter, silent and relentless, and I have no choice but to follow .

The trees thin out as we near the edge of the woods, moonlight filtering through the canopy. Kaden slows, his head cocked as if listening for predators. I strain my ears, but all I hear is the thud of my own heart and the rasp of my breathing.

We break through the tree line, emerging onto a narrow dirt road. An old pickup truck is parked on the shoulder, its faded blue paint almost silver. Kaden strides over to it, yanking open the passenger door with a screech of rusted hinges.

"Get in," he grunts, jerking his head toward the cab.

I hesitate, eyeing the truck skeptically. It looks like it's seen better days, the tires bald and the windshield cracked.

Kaden's patience snaps. He grabs my arm, hauling me toward the vehicle. I yelp, stumbling, but his grip is unbreakable. He all but shoves me into the seat, slamming the door behind me.

At this point, I'm convinced what happened between us back at the warehouse, where I gave him ecstasy and he gave me his name, was all in my imagination.

The cab smells of stale cigarettes and motor oil, the upholstery threadbare and stained. Kaden climbs in the driver's side, the truck dipping under his weight. He jams the key into the ignition, and the engine sputters to life with a belch of exhaust.

We lurch onto the road, the truck's suspension groaning as we bounce over the ruts. I clutch the door handle, my knuckles white, as Kaden pushes the accelerator to the floor. The speedometer needle climbs past sixty, seventy, eighty, the woods blurring past the windows.

I chance a peek at Kaden's profile, his features harsh in the dashboard's glow, his scar appearing more like a weapon than an injury.

"Where are we going?" I dare to ask.

Kaden's hands tighten on the steering wheel. So many seconds pass that I think he's ignoring me, when he finally responds. "I told you. Home."

To my utter horror, my stomach drops at the thought of him dumping me at the lighthouse, then walking away. "And then what? You'll just leave me there, go off on your suicide mission?"

"We're not done," he says so smoothly that it's clear he's regained control. "Your little date with Ethan tonight proved one thing: you can't be trusted to stay put and stay safe."

Dread and a perverse fascination war within me, leaving me dizzy and off-balance. "What are you saying?"

Kaden turns to meet my gaze, unflinching. "I'm saying that from now on, I'll be staying there. With you."

The implications of his words make the back of my head slam against the seat. "You're moving in?"

A cold smile flirts with the corners of his mouth. "Consider it a security measure. For both our sakes."

As I sit there, frozen in disbelief, Kaden slows the car in front of my home. "Better make some space, Wraithling. Your new roommate has arrived."