Epilogue
The city was quiet, eerily so, the hum of distant traffic almost forgotten. Rain streaked down the glass panes of the high-rise hideout, each droplet tracing a path like a reminder of time slipping away. I could hear Athanasius’ labored breathing beside me, the rhythm of it irregular, faltering. Every instinct screamed at me: this was it—the point of no return.
He leaned against the wall, emerald eyes heavy with fatigue and something else—something softer, more vulnerable than I had ever seen in him. His hand hovered near mine, but I knew he dared not touch me. Not yet.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I whispered, voice trembling despite my attempts at control. My gloves were off, but I still felt the barrier of his near-untouchable aura. The lethal tension between us had never been m
