Page 67 of Run of Ruin

“I know,” Bex murmured, catching my glare and clearly reading the thought in my head. “I feel the same.” She kept working, wiping away the blood with gentle, careful hands. “If Canyon had even a few of these… we wouldn’t need to dig as many graves.”

My eyes flicked up to Zaffir, locking onto him as the camera rolled. I hoped he caught the look I tried to send, ‘don’t use that’. It wasn’t directly ‘anti-Praxis,’ but it was close enough to be interpreted as such. And the last thing I wanted was to paint a target on her back.

So I did the only thing I could. I changed the subject.

“I’m going to help you save your brother, Bex.”

Her head snapped up, eyes locking on mine.

“That’s my vow to you,” I said, voice rough, the words dragging out of me like they’d been waiting to be spoken. “You’ve become…” I swallowed, feeling that familiar ache in my chest. “Important to me. More than I know how to say.”

Has it really only been a few weeks? Because my heart felt like it had carried her name forever.

“Ezra…” she whispered, her voice trembling in a way that gutted me.

I cupped her cheek, running my thumb along the soft curve of her cheekbone. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned into my touch like she belonged there. Like maybetoo farwas already miles behind us.

Not wanting to share this moment with the ever-watching lens, I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, even though every instinct in me screamed to claim her lips. I pulled back, let her finish tending to my arm, and forced myself to keep still.

Zaffir’s communicator buzzed, sharp and insistent, and he quickly shut off the camera before hurrying out of the room to answer it.

The second the door clicked shut, I reached for her. Onehand on the side of her face, I guided her to me and pressed my lips to hers. Soft. Slow. Nothing demanding, nothing desperate, just warmth and quiet, and something like healing. She kissed me back, and for a moment, the world outside didn’t exist.

But then, as if she remembered what she was doing, she pulled her lips back. Pushing me away gently, she sighed, a sound that wasn’t relief. It was heavy, aching, and sad.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, brushing my thumb along her jaw.

“I…” she hesitated, then shook her head. “Nevermind.”

She started to stand, but I caught her wrist and gently tugged her back down beside me.

“Talk to me, Bex,” I murmured, my voice rough with the fear of whatever she might say.

“It’s stupid,” she whispered, but her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

“I doubt that,” I said, pulling her against my side, holding her there like it might stop her from slipping through my fingers.

“I just… sometimes it feels like it’s all a show,” she admitted, her voice barely audible. “Us. Thorne and Briar too. This whole little team the people love to root for. And I get it, it’s working, it’s helping, but…” She swallowed hard. “I’m starting to haverealfeelings. Honest-to-God feelings for all of you. And if it’s just for the cameras… I just need to know so I don’t get myself hurt.”

The ache in my chest was sharp and immediate. Because my heart wasn’t mine anymore, it belonged to her, and I’d gladly let it break if it meant keeping hers whole.

I reached for her face, tilting her chin up until her tear-bright eyes met mine.

“Let me be clear, Bex,” I said, my voice steady even thoughmy heart thundered in my chest. “If I haven’t made it obvious enough, then that’s on me. Because I love you. And believe me when I say that I’m just as surprised as you are. Hell, I never knew I’d be able to feel something like that again, but then you happened.”

Her eyes widened, a soft gasp escaping her lips.

“You…”

“Love you,” I finished for her.

And I watched it happen, the way those words crashed over her, breaking through the walls she’d built. Relief, fear, joy, and something that looked like hope flickered across her face in quick succession.

“I wasn’t letting myself,” she confessed, voice shaking. “Fall for you. Any of you. Because I couldn’t tell what was real… what was just for show.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“I know,” I said quietly. “And honestly maybe at first I wasn’t all that sure either.”

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