Chapter 6 Shadows In The Light

My heart thundered so loudly I was sure both men could hear it. The broken door hung crooked on its hinges, and Marco stood in the wreckage.

His eyes were wild, flicking between me and Alex with pure venom.

“Who the fuck is this guy, Sophia?” Marco spat, his hand hovering dangerously close to the gun at his waist.

"You let some random asshole put his hands on you already?”

Alex didn’t flinch.

He stood like a wall between us. The passionate man who had just been kissing me senseless had vanished.

In his place was someone far more commanding.

“I said leave,” Alex repeated, his voice low and ice-cold. It wasn’t a request.

“You’re not welcome here.”

Marco laughed, but it sounded forced.

He was bigger than most men, but Alex had several inches and a presence that seemed to suck the air out of the room.

"You think you can tell me what to do in my girl’s apartment?”

“She’s not your girl anymore,” Alex said flatly.

“And this isn’t your apartment. Walk away while you still can.”

The tension stretched tight enough to snap. I stepped forward slightly, my legs shaky.

“Marco, just go. We’re over. Please don’t make this worse.”

His gaze snapped to me, hurt and rage twisting his features.

"After everything I did for you? After I kept you safe from the monsters in this city? You throw me away and jump into bed with the first guy who smiles at you?”

He took a step closer. Alex moved with him, smooth and predatory, positioning himself so Marco couldn’t reach me without going through him.

“I won’t ask again,” Alex warned.

Marco’s hand finally closed around the grip of his gun. My breath caught.

Then, without warning, Alex moved.

It was fast - blindingly fast. One moment he was standing still, the next he had Marco’s wrist twisted at a painful angle, the gun clattering to the floor. After a brief scuffle, he had Marco gasping for air.

Alex’s foot pressed down on the discarded weapon, pinning it.

“Touch her again and I’ll break more than your arm,” Alex said quietly.

The violence was controlled, precise, and terrifying.

Marco wheezed, glaring up at him.

“You have no idea who you’re fucking with.”

“Neither do you,” Alex replied.

I stood frozen, my mind reeling. Where had that come from? Alex had always seemed strong, but this… this was something else.

“Alex…” My voice came out small.

He glanced back at me, his expression softening instantly. The dangerous stranger melted away, replaced by the gentle neighbor I knew.

“It’s okay, Sophia. He’s leaving.”

He hauled Marco up by the collar and shoved him toward the broken doorway.

"Don’t come back. If I see you near her again, it won’t end with a warning.”

Marco stumbled into the hallway, clutching his side. He shot me one last venomous look.

“This isn’t over, Sophia. You belong to me. And when the Romanos come for your new boyfriend here, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

With that, he disappeared down the hall.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Alex closed what remained of the door as best he could, then turned to me. His chest was still rising and falling, but his eyes were filled with concern.

“Are you hurt?” he asked softly, reaching out to cup my face. His thumb brushed my cheek with surprising tenderness.

I shook my head, but my whole body was trembling.

"No… I’m okay. But you… how did you do that? You were so-”

“Trained in self-defense,” he said smoothly, pulling me into his arms. I went willingly, burying my face against his bare chest.

"I wasn’t going to let him touch you.”

His hands stroked down my back, soothing, possessive. The same hands that had just disarmed a man with terrifying efficiency now held me like I was something precious.

I pulled back slightly to look up at him.

"Alex… that wasn’t normal self-defense. You moved like you’ve done it before.”

For a fraction of a second, something unreadable flickered across his face. Then he smiled, brushing my hair back.

“I’ve had to protect myself in rough situations. That’s all. You don’t have to worry about him anymore. I’ll make sure of it.”

He leaned down and kissed me again.- gentler this time, but still deep, still claiming. My body responded instantly despite the adrenaline, melting against him. When he pulled away, his forehead rested against mine.

“I should stay tonight,” he murmured.

"Just in case he comes back. I’ll sleep on the couch. I don’t want you alone after that.”

Part of me knew I should say no. Things were moving too fast. But the thought of being alone with that broken door and the memory of Marco’s rage terrified me more.

“Okay,” I whispered.

"Stay.”

Alex helped me clean up the mess, then made us tea while I changed into something more comfortable. We ended up on the couch together as we talked quietly about nothing and everything.

His fingers traced lazy patterns on my shoulder, soothing and electric at the same time.

Later, when I had almost drifted into an exhausted doze against his side, his phone buzzed on the coffee table. The sound was low, but he stiffened immediately.

He glanced at the screen, and the warmth in his expression thinned.

“I need to take this,” he said, already standing.

"Two minutes.”

He stepped into the hallway near the broken door, far enough for privacy but close enough that I could still hear the tone of his voice even if the words were unclear.

It was different from the way he spoke to me - stripped of the easy charm he usually wore. At one point I caught a short reply that sounded deferential, followed by a longer silence as he listened.

When he spoke again, there was a controlled edge underneath the calm, the same edge I had heard when he threatened Marco.

He ended the call and stood still for a moment in the hallway before coming back.

When he sat down again, the softness returned to his face, but it felt slightly more deliberate than before.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Just work,” he said, pulling me back against his chest.

“Nothing that concerns you.”

His arms settled around me again, warm and solid. I let myself sink into him, the earlier fear slowly loosening its grip.

But as I rested there, listening to the steady beat of his heart, the memory of that quieter, colder voice on the phone stayed with me.

And then there was that final warning Marco had thrown before leaving.

...When the Romanos come for your new boyfriend…

I pushed the thought away. Alex was just a good man who knew how to protect people.

That was all.

Right?

I closed my eyes, but the unease lingered, mixing with the heat of his earlier kisses and the safety of knowing he was right across the room.

For the first time since moving in, the feeling of being watched didn’t feel entirely outside of my apartment.

It felt like it was coming from inside it.