Page 37 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

By the time they stumbled through the door of the small, nondescript building, the blood had soaked through Ronan’s shirt, and his breath came in ragged, painful gasps.

"You know, if you've brought me here to finish me off," Ronan said, grimacing as she helped him onto a threadbare couch, "I could think of better ways to go."

Serenity tried not to let the sight of the wound shake her. Tried not to let him see how much it bothered her. "You're not dying, drama queen." She rummaged through drawers until she found a first aid kit. "At least not until I decide what to do with you."

She moved back to him, ignoring the heat in her cheeks as his eyes followed her every step. Gentle was not in her nature, but she was surprisingly careful when she lifted his shirt and cleaned the cut.

Ronan winced but didn't pull away.

"Not bad for an Omega who's supposed to hate me."

"Don't tempt me," she muttered, but her hands were steady as she dressed the wound. She was an idiot for helping him. She knew it. But here she was, playing nursemaid to an Alpha who was supposed to be her enemy.

An Alpha who'd just saved her from a ruthless attack because... why?

That was the question burning a hole in her brain.

"Seems like you can't stop taking care of me," Ronan said, a smug edge to his voice despite the pain.

She taped the bandage with more force than necessary.

"Seems like you can't stop getting into trouble."

A short silence, and then the amusement in his eyes turned serious.

"Thank you, Serenity. For this."

She straightened, taken off guard by the sincerity in his voice.

"Don't make it a habit," she mumbled. "I still don't trust you."

Ronan leaned back, a lazy grin on his lips even as he fought through the pain.

"Give it time. You'll come around."

Suddenly, Ronan's hand snaked around her neck, pulling her down. His lips crashed into hers, hot and demanding. Serenity's surprised gasp turned into a moan as his tongue twined with hers.

When he finally released her, Serenity was breathless. Ronan's eyes glittered dangerously.

"You're going to be a dangerous addiction if we get what we want," he murmured.

Serenity's heart raced.

"Who's 'we'?"

But Ronan's eyes had already fluttered closed, and she watched him slip into an exhausted, fitful sleep, leaving Serenity with a thousand unanswered questions and the lingering taste of his kiss on her lips.

The room felt smaller, the air heavier, with him there. Serenity paced, her thoughts a chaotic mess.

How had this happened? How had she gone from a calculating game plan to nursing one of the most dangerous men in the hunt? And why did it feel like the most insane choice, yet the right one?

She left him to rest, slipping out of the room and into the cold night. She needed distance.Space to breathe, to think.To grapple with what the hell had just happened.

And she needed answers.

As Serenity sat back, her mind reeling from the kiss and Ronan's cryptic words, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She fished it out, the screen's glow casting eerie shadows in the dim alley.

An unknown number.

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