Page 241 of Untamed

My stomach twists, breath catching.

“They got close enough to take you once, Jo. They wanted to prove theycould.That none of this— she gestures to the windows, the grounds beyond them, the silent manor swallowing us whole, “none of it can protect you.”

Her voice drops, shaking.

“They took you from right under his nose. Past all the guards, all the cameras. You think next time they’ll leave you alive?”

I swallow hard. I can’t look at her.

“I know you love him. I know you think he can protect you. But even Ares isn’t invincible.”She takes a shaky breath. “You don’t understand how far men like Nicolai will go. This isn’t just about power anymore. This is obsession. And obsession ends in blood.”

The words hit somewhere deep, somewhere I haven’t dared let myself look.

But still… I can’t let go.

“I’m not leaving him,” I whisper. “I can’t.”

Bianca’s breath hitches, her eyes pleading, but I keep going. My voice is steadier now. Stronger.

“I know what’s happening, B. I know exactly how dangerous this is. I know loving him puts a target on my back, and I know what it might cost me.”

I swallow, chest tightening. “But I’ve weighed it. All of it. And I’d rather die in his arms than walk away and spend the rest of my life wondering if anyone will ever make me feel the way he does.”

Bianca’s expression crumples, but she doesn’t speak.

“You don’t understand what it’s like,” I go on, quieter now. “To be seen like that. To be wanted, not just for how I look or what I can offer, but forme. All the broken pieces I try to hide. He sees them. And he doesn’t flinch. Hestays.And so will I.”

“Mum always said love wasn’t meant to shine only when things are good, it’s what holds you together when the world starts to fall apart. I don’t care if the world burns down around us. As long as he’s in it, I’ll stand in the fire.” She covers her mouth with one trembling hand.

“You think he’s the dangerous one,” I whisper, eyes burning, “but he’s the only place I’ve ever felt safe.” Silence stretches between us, thick, fragile.

Finally, Bianca steps forward and pulls me into her arms.

“If it were up to me,” she breathes, voice cracking, “I’d drag you out of this house myself and force you on that plane kicking and screaming. But it’s clear, you’ve already chosen to sacrifice yourself for him.” She pulls back just enough to look me in the eye. “Just promise me… if it all falls apart, you’ll run before it buries you.”

I swallow the ache in my throat and whisper back. “If I run, B… it’ll be straight into the fire. Right where he is.”

Bianca doesn’t say anything else. She just nods once, eyes glassy, and turns toward the door, but the moment it opens, she freezes.

Ares steps into the hallway, his frame filling the space like a shadow come to life. His shirt’s still dusted with ash from the training mats, knuckles bruised, eyes darker than I’ve seen them all day.

He stops short when he sees her.

They lock eyes. The silence is sharp, coiled and dangerous.

Bianca lifts her chin, steady and unafraid. “If anything happens to her,”she says, voice quiet but sharp as glass,“I’ll be the one to bury you, Ares Russo.”

Ares doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t speak. But something in his eyes changes, something feral, something restrained. Bianca brushes past him, her heels echoing down the marble hallway like a final warning.

The manor is still, as if holding its breath. I find Ares on the balcony, lit by the amber glow of a lone wall sconce, a cigarette smouldering between his fingers. He doesn’t flinch when I step outside, doesn’t glance my way as I settle beside him. The silence stretches between us. I break it.

“I want you to teach me.”

He flicks ash into a crystal dish. “Teach you what?”

“How to use a gun.” He goes rigid, every muscle locked, like the moment before lightning strikes.

“No.”

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