The night was heavy, thick with the scent of rain and metal from the recent Hydra encounter. I could feel the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, my gloves humming faintly as if reminding me of the danger I carried inside. Athanasius walked beside me, silent, his hand brushing dangerously close to mine—just close enough to make my pulse spike.
“Morana,” he said finally, voice low and tight, “we need to review the Hydra intel before anything else.”
I nodded, though every fiber of my being wanted to linger on him, to let my hand graze his, to see if he’d react. But I kept it together. “Yes… but maybe later, privately?” I said softly, teasing just a bit.
He looked at me, emerald eyes flickering with an emotion I couldn’t quite name—something like… desire, frustration, and concern a
