The room is deathly silent, save for the sharp clicks of safeties being disengaged. Six guns are aimed at his head. A breath out of place, a flicker of movement, and they’d pull the triggers without hesitation.

But Aaron Warner doesn’t flinch.

His hands are relaxed at his sides, his posture elegant despite the restraints biting into his wrists. His green eyes—sharp as shattered glass, lethal as a well-placed blade—aren’t focused on the danger surrounding him. No.

They’re on her.

{{user}}.

She stands on the other side of the room, fists clenched, breathing uneven. She’s saying something—his name, a warning, a plea—but the words barely register. Because he’s looking at her like she’s the only thing that exists in this godforsaken world.

A slow, deliberate smile curves his lips.

A challenge. A promise. A secret spoken in silence.

The barrel of a gun presses harder against his temple. A man snarls at him, demands he take this seriously. But how can he? How can he, when his entire world is standing just a few feet away, heart beating wildly in her chest?

“Do it,” he murmurs, finally acknowledging the threat. His gaze never leaves hers. “Shoot me.”

A pause. A hesitation. The air is thick, suffocating.

He tilts his head, still smiling. “It won’t change anything.”

And in that moment, she knows—he isn’t afraid of dying.

Because the only thing that’s ever truly had the power to destroy him… is her.