Kano's War

Chapter 39

The room was dark again.

Still.

Too still.

I felt it first—the icy chill against my back. A dampness soaked through my clothes. My wrists were chained again, skin raw where the shackles rubbed. The floor beneath me was hard and cold. My legs were folded awkwardly beneath me. My throat felt dry, cracked.

I was in that cell again.

"No..." I whispered. "Not again..."

"I told you," a voice came from the shadows. His voice. "You can mark yourself all you want. Dress up like you belong somewhere." The shape moved closer. His voice curled around me like smoke. "But you'll always be mine to break."

Tristan.

He stepped into the flickering torchlight, his eyes glittering with malice. His boots echoed as they approached me slowly, each step measured.

"You're weaker than ever now, Amory," he sneered. "You've lost what made you strong. A human Luna? Pathetic."

I tried to move. I couldn't. I pulled against the chains—my wrists bled.

"No one can protect you forever," he said, crouching beside me. "Not even him."

Then he reached for me—fingertips brushing my cheek—and I screamed.

I shot up with a gasp, clutching my chest.
My skin was drenched in sweat. My heart thundered so loudly it was all I could hear. The room spun, the shadows in the corners moving in ways they shouldn't. My hands gripped the sheets like they could anchor me to reality.

Then, I saw movement in the corner of my room. He was here. I could feel it. Then, he lunged towards me, and I let out a hoarse yell.

I pushed myself up with another gasp. Noticing the dark room. Kano was next to me, breathing deep, asleep—peaceful. Was this another nightmare? Or real life?

I felt the nausea hit hard and fast.

My legs moved before I could stop them, carrying me out of bed on instinct. I pushed the bathroom door open with a trembling hand and barely made it to the toilet before the heaving started.

I didn't even cry at first. Just shook.

Silent and miserable.

But when the vomiting stopped, when my forehead pressed to the cool porcelain, the sobs came—sudden and sharp. A storm breaking loose in the hollow of my chest.

I didn't hear him wake. But I felt it—the soft floor creaking under his step. The slight movement of air when the door cracked open. I flinched.

"Amory...?"

His voice was low, careful. Then I felt his presence behind me. I didn't look up—I couldn't. My arms were shaking too hard. My whole body felt like it was falling apart.

"Hey, hey, shhh..." he murmured, crouching beside me. "I've got you. Come here."

I didn't resist when he pulled me into his arms. I just collapsed into him, breath hiccuping, tears soaking his bare chest as he picked me up like I weighed nothing. His scent hit me instantly—earth, smoke, forest. Home.

He said nothing at first.

Just carried me gently back to bed, the blanket already warm from where he'd been sleeping. He laid me down and tucked the covers over me, sliding in behind me and wrapping both arms around my waist, pulling me tight against him.

His mouth found the top of my head. "You're okay. I've got you."

"I saw him again," I whispered, voice cracking. "He was there."