When Red Hood, also known as Jason Todd, finally carves out his own path in Gotham, he's hit with a new wave of chaos. His old friend is released from prison after three long years, but Jason knows their friendship has turned to hostility. She's out...
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JASON
My chest tightens as I sense the girl I lost betrayed behind me.
The girl who will be the death of me, a slow, miserable one.
I had snuck out the window before she could find me, alongside slipping on my Red Hood suit as if it could shield me from the inevitable, her ring. I don't want to hurt her, but I won't stand here and let her strike freely either. My heart beats softly yet urgently, a quiet rhythm that matches the tension thrumming through my veins. Every muscle in my body is coiled, ready for whatever she might do next. The light breeze sweeps through the air as I stay silent, listening intently as her soft footsteps come to an abrupt halt.
The world around us seems to hold its breath, as if waiting for the first move. I can almost feel her anger, her hurt, radiating in the space between us. It's a bitter reminder of what I did to her and how far we've fallen. In the stillness, I brace myself for the reunion that's bound to erupt—knowing that this time, there might be no turning back.
But there is one thing I need from her, her ring.
One, because if she loses control and the ring's power surges, this city could be in serious danger. I've done my research—Bruce crafted that ring with materials so volatile, they could trigger a major earthquake if she doesn't learn to harness it.
And two, Lilith might not know the full extent of what the ring is capable of. If someone steals it and it falls into the wrong hands?
Deadly.
The memorable, never forgotten voice interrupts my thoughts.
"Keepin tabs on me, huh?"
Those five words send me spiraling, my mind tumbling through a storm of emotions I can barely contain. Her voice—so achingly familiar—carries a surprising lilt of beauty. Yet, it's still sharp, still capable of cutting through me with ease. And gods, how I love it, the little quips back and forth, even as it unsettles something deep within. I push away the gnawing realization that she must have already seen the tracker I left open, my mistake glaring in the back of my mind.
"I'm pretty sure you were the one keeping tabs on me first." My voice even, breaking through the breeze between us.
My first mistake was turning around to see her pretty - breathtaking - view, slim but slightly curvy body when I gaze down. I didn't want to look back up yet, but my mind forced me to. Settling on those unforgettable deep hazel eyes with the memorable flicks of amber swirling around her iris, like embers dancing in a dying fire. Her eyes were like the peace I lost after losing her. I wonder how she looks even more mesmerizing after jail, like she's stepped out of the shadows with a new kind of dangerous allure. That cell changed her in more ways than I could have imagined.
