41. Kali

41

KALI

I lie in my bed, my body hurting all over. The familiar surroundings of my old apartment should bring me comfort. Still, the only thing I think that can bring me comfort right now is Matias. My friends Alice, Luna, and Blake sit around me.

"Kali, how are you feeling?" Alice asks, her voice gentle.

I try to muster a smile, but it feels forced. "I'm okay," I lie.

Luna places a hand on my arm, her touch grounding me. "We're here for you, Kali. You don't have to pretend."

Tears prick my eyes as the weight of everything crashes down on me. "I was so scared," I whisper. "I thought I was going to die."

Blake squeezes my hand, her eyes shining with understanding. "But you didn't. You're safe now."

Safe. The word should bring me comfort, but it rings hollow. Because as much as I want to believe it, it's hard to believe I'll ever be safe again. Even though I'm back in Brown, somehow I was kidnapped again and fucking tortured. All because of Matias.

"Kali, we need to talk about Matias," Alice says, her voice laced with concern.

I tense, my heart already pounding in my chest. "What about him?" I ask.

"He's dangerous," Luna chimes in. "Look at what happened to you. You were tortured because of him. Why did you move out to live with him? "

"I wanted to," I lie, despite not having a choice.

Blake clears her throat. "Wouldn't it be best to end things with him?"

They could never understand, and I don't have the strength right now to explain things. Despite everything, I've grown to care for him in a way I never thought possible. He's become a part of me, twisted and dark as our connection may be.

"You don't understand," I protest weakly. "It's not that simple."

Blake shakes her head, her expression solemn. "Kali, we're your best friends. We just want to protect you."

"All three of you should understand to some extent. Yes, he may have been the biggest asshole out of the three who trained us, but Alice and Luna are with Taren and Thiago. How is it any different?"

Alice clears her throat. "Taren never forced me to do anything. He was practically in love with me at first sight."

I chew on my lip. "Well, I love Matias. It may not be conventional, but it's true. He's opened up to and changed so much…"

I trail off, unable to find the words to explain the intensity of my feelings. How can I make them understand how Matias consumes my thoughts, dreams, and existence?

Alice reaches out and takes my hand, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I understand. If he's what you want, and it's entirely your choice, we'll support that; we just don't want to see you get hurt."

The pain in my chest sharpens, and I have to blink back tears of my own. I know they're right that Matias is dangerous and unpredictable. Still, I also know that walking away from him would be like tearing a piece of my soul away.

The door to my bedroom swings open, and Matias strides in. My friends tense, their protective instincts kicking in as Blake jumps to her feet.

"Matias," I say, my voice trembling. "What are you doing here?"

He doesn't even glance at Alice, Luna, and Blake. His eyes are locked on me, burning with a vicious intensity.

"I need to speak with you," he says, his voice low and commanding. "Alone."

Alice opens her mouth to protest, but Matias silences her with a single look. "This doesn't concern you," he says.

Luna and Blake exchange a worried glance, but they know better than to defy Matias. Slowly, reluctantly, they rise from their seats and head for the door .

Alice lingers for a moment. "Kali, do you want to speak with him?"

I nod, swallowing hard. "Yes."

With one last concerned look, Alice follows Luna and Blake out of the room, leaving me alone with Matias.

The air crackles with tension as he approaches the bed, his gaze roaming over my bandaged form. For once, there's no hunger in his eyes, no predatory gleam. Instead, he looks almost... troubled.

"Kali," he says, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "I need to know what happened."

I suck in a sharp breath, memories of my brief captivity flooding back. The pain, the fear, and the hopelessness all come rushing back in a tidal wave of emotion.

"I don't want to talk about it," I whisper.

Matias reaches out, his calloused fingers brushing against my cheek. The touch is gentle, almost tender—a stark contrast to the roughness I'm used to from him.

"Please," he murmurs, his eyes searching mine. "I need to know."

There's something in his voice, a rawness that catches me off guard. For a moment, I see a crack in his armor.

I take a deep, shuddering breath. "The men, they broke into the apartment while I was studying," I begin, my voice trembling. "They grabbed me, tied me up, and took me to some abandoned warehouse."

Matias's jaw tightens, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. But he doesn't interrupt or speak; he waits for me to continue.

"Afterwards, they transported me to that basement. Suarez wanted information about you," I say, my gaze dropping to the bandages wrapped around my wrists. He kept asking about your weaknesses and vulnerabilities. But I didn't know anything to tell him anyway."

A muscle ticks in Matias's jaw. Still, he remains silent, letting me speak.

"When I couldn't give him what he wanted, he..." My voice catches in my throat, and I swallow past the lump. "He started torturing me."

Matias's entire body becomes rigid, his eyes blazing with a rage so intense it scares me—but it's not directed at me.

"He used knives, pliers, anything he could get his hands on," I continue, my voice barely above a whisper. "The pain was... indescribable. I thought I was going to die."

Matias's fist connects with the wall in a sudden, explosive movement, the impact so forceful that I jump. He doesn't even flinch from the pain or care that his knuckles are now grazed.

I watch him while he stands there, his chest heaving, his entire body trembling with barely contained fury.

Matias turns to face me with an intensity that steals my breath away. "Did he touch you sexually?"

I shake my head. "No, he just hurt me."

My heart races when his hands cup my face. His touch is gentle .

"Kali," he says, his voice raw with emotion. "The past two days have been the worst days of my life. Unable to find you, not knowing where you were or what was happening to you. It was torture."

I swallow hard, my throat tightening with emotion. I've never seen Matias so open.

"I felt like I was dying every second you were away from me," he continues. "I can't bear to live without you, Kali. You're everything to me."

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, and I blink them back, overwhelmed by his feelings. I've always known that Matias was possessive, that he saw me as his. But this is something else entirely.

"Suarez, the man responsible for your torture..." Matias's voice turns cold, his eyes hardening with a fury that sends a shiver down my spine. "He'll feel a thousand times more pain than he put you through. I'll make sure of it."

I know that Matias is capable of great violence, that he's a dangerous man. But in this moment, all I feel is safe and protected, knowing that he would go to such lengths for me.

"Matias," I whisper, my voice trembling. "I don't know what to say."

He leans in, his forehead pressing against mine. "You don't have to say anything," he murmurs. "Just know I'll always protect you, little rabbit, no matter what."

I've got no doubt that he means every word. This isn't just idle talk; it's a vow and a declaration of war against anyone who dares to harm what's his .

At that moment, I know with absolute certainty that I belong to Matias, body and soul. He may be a monster, a creature of darkness and violence, but he's my monster, and I want to spend the rest of my life by his side.