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Felicia's blood ran cold at the scout's words. The room seemed to close in around her, and for a brief moment, all she could hear was the rapid pounding of her heartbeat. Dead. All of Ryker's men, wiped out by something unknown and now headed straight for them.
Nelson's expression was unreadable, his body tense as he absorbed the news. He dismissed the scout with a curt nod, watching the man retreat from the room before turning back to Felicia. Their eyes met, and for the first time, she saw something in Nelson that she wasn't used to—uncertainty.
Felicia took a deep breath, fighting to steady herself. She walked toward him slowly, reaching out until her fingers brushed against his arm. "What do we do now?" she asked, her voice soft but laced with the weight of the question.
Nelson's gaze shifted down to her hand, then back to her face. He reached up and gently cupped her cheek, his thumb grazing her skin in a gesture that was both tender and protective. "We prepare," he said, though there was a quiet intensity in his voice. "Whatever's coming, we face it together."
She leaned into his touch, drawing strength from his presence, and for a moment, the looming threat faded into the background. It was just the two of them at this moment—a shared understanding that no matter what came, they were in this together.
"You don't have to protect me from everything, you know," she whispered, her voice carrying a hint of vulnerability. "I'm stronger than I look."
Nelson's lips twitched into the barest hint of a smile, his thumb still tracing slow circles against her cheek. "I know," he murmured. "But I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
The words hung in the air between them, heavier than they intended. Felicia's breath caught in her throat as the full weight of their relationship settled in—this wasn't just about survival anymore.
It was about love, the kind of love that neither of them had expected but had grown into something undeniable, something fierce.
She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest. For a moment, the world outside didn't matter—the looming threat, the supernatural force, Ryker's decimated army. It was all secondary to the warmth of Nelson's arms around her, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against her ear.
Nelson lowered his head, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, his hand resting at the small of her back. He pulled her closer, as if holding her could keep all the dangers at bay, if only for a moment. "I should have told you sooner," he said quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Felicia tilted her head up to look at him, her brow furrowed. "Told me what?"
"That I love you," Nelson said, his gaze locking with hers. "I know I don't say it enough. I didn't know how to at first. But I love you, Felicia. More than I ever thought I could love anyone."
Her heart swelled at his words, a mixture of warmth and vulnerability flooding through her. She hadn't expected him to say it, not like this, but hearing it felt like a release—a confirmation of everything they had both been feeling but had struggled to express.
"I love you too," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I didn't want to admit it at first, but somewhere along the way… you became everything to me."
Nelson's hand moved to cradle the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair as he pulled her into a deep, lingering kiss. It wasn't hurried or desperate; it was steady and sure, filled with the kind of promise that neither of them had been able to make before now.
They had fought their way through so much—through hate, through fear, through the violence of their world—and yet here they were, standing together in the face of the unknown.
When they finally pulled apart, Nelson rested his forehead against hers, their breath mingling in the quiet between them. "No matter what happens," he said softly, "we face it together."
Felicia nodded, her eyes closed as she soaked in the moment. She didn't know what the future held, but right now, with Nelson beside her, she felt like she could face anything.
But the peace didn't last. There was another knock at the door, this one more urgent than before. Nelson sighed, stepping back and giving Felicia one last look before turning to answer.
The same scout reappeared, his face even paler than before. "Your Majesty," he stammered, "it's arrived at the northern gates."
Nelson's jaw tightened. "What is it?"
The scout swallowed hard, shaking his head. "We don't know, sir. But it's nothing like we've ever seen before. The men—" His voice faltered, and he looked down, visibly shaken. "They're afraid, Your Majesty."
Nelson's expression hardened. "Then I'll handle it myself."
Felicia's heart dropped as she realized what he meant. "You're going out there," she said, her voice rising in alarm. "Nelson, you can't face this thing alone. We don't even know what it is!"
He turned back to her, his eyes steady and resolved. "I have to. Whatever this is, it's come for us. If I don't face it, it'll tear through everything we've built."
Felicia clenched her fists, the fear rising in her chest. "Then I'm coming with you."
Nelson shook his head. "No. I need you here, safe. If anything happens to me, you need to be the one to protect this place, to keep everything together."
Her pulse quickened, and for a moment, panic gripped her. "I can't lose you, Nelson."
He stepped forward, taking her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears she didn't realize had fallen. "You won't," he promised, his voice low and filled with determination. "I'll come back to you. I swear it."
Felicia held his gaze, her heart breaking at the thought of him facing this unknown terror alone. But she knew him well enough to understand that there was no changing his mind. Nelson Bianchi had never been a man to back down from a fight.
"Be careful," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Nelson nodded, pressing one last kiss to her lips before turning and striding toward the door. He paused just before leaving, his hand resting on the handle as he looked back at her one last time. "I love you," he said softly, his voice a promise.
And then he was gone, the door closing behind him with a soft thud.
Felicia stood in the empty room, her heart heavy and her mind racing. The silence that followed was suffocating, the weight of the unknown pressing down on her. She had no idea what was waiting for him out there, but one thing was certain.
Nothing would ever be the same again….