The wind carried the sharp scent of the river, cutting through the faint hum of the city behind her. The dock swayed gently beneath her boots, the water below reflecting fractured silver from the streetlights. She clutched her jacket tighter, though the chill wasn’t what made her chest tighten.

She had come here to think, to breathe, away from the chaos of demons and duty. But even here, he found her. He always did.

The soft tread of boots against the wooden planks set her heart racing, though she didn’t turn. She felt him before she saw him—warmth in a world that often felt cold, an energy that made her chest ache.

Her gaze stayed on the river as he stopped beside her. The faint rustle of his clothes, the brush of his arm against hers, sent a shiver down her spine. He smelled faintly of leather and steel, of something untouchable and dangerous, and yet, she couldn’t pull away.

The tension hung heavy, like the air before a storm. Her thoughts churned—of battles fought, of words left unsaid, of moments like this, stolen and fragile. Her pulse hammered, caught between fear of falling and the impossibility of letting go.

The dock creaked under his weight as he leaned against the railing. His voice broke the silence, low and sure. “You can keep running, but you know I’ll always catch up.”