Elena sat across from him at the kitchen table, her arms crossed tightly in front of her, green eyes boring into him with a stubborn intensity Theo had come to both admire and dread. Her unwavering stare was a demand—she was no longer asking for answers, she was expecting them. Theo sat back in his chair, the weight of the whiskey glass grounding him. He swirled the amber liquid idly, his mind elsewhere as the tension in the room thickened.

“What are you?” she asked, her voice steady, but with a sharp edge of frustration.

The question cut through the silence like a knife. Theo had known it was coming, but that didn’t soften the blow. How was he supposed to answer that? A direct response would only unravel everything he had carefully kept hidden. He gripped the glass tighter, his knuckles paling, before placing it down on the table. His mind was spinning with possibilities—none of them good.

“I’ve already told you,” he said, his tone calm, measured, betraying none of the turmoil within him. “It’s complicated. And it’s better if you don’t know right now.”

Elena’s eyes narrowed, unimpressed by his vague deflection. She leaned forward slightly, her frustration becoming more apparent. “What was that thing in my apartment?” Her voice rose, laced with impatience. “You can’t just expect me to forget about it.”

Theo let out a slow breath, dropping his gaze to the table. The thing that had attacked them—it wasn’t something he could explain. He hadn’t encountered anything like it before, and that alone unsettled him. Whatever it was, it was dangerous, and worse, it was unknown. Not a part of Lucian’s plans or anything he could anticipate.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, his voice quieter now, though his honesty didn’t seem to ease the tension.

Elena blinked, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. Her fingers tapped lightly against the table, an unconscious rhythm of irritation. The weight of his answer didn’t satisfy her. She wasn’t used to living with uncertainty. As a scholar, her world was built on finding answers, uncovering truths long buried. And now, here she was, sitting with a man she trusted, who seemed to know something—yet every door she tried to open led to more questions.

“You don’t know?” she repeated, leaning back in her chair. She crossed her arms tighter, the frustration bubbling under the surface. “How can you not know?”

Theo remained silent, letting her words hang in the air between them. His gaze flickered to her, catching the way her fists clenched in her lap, a physical manifestation of the inner turmoil she was struggling to control. He hated seeing her like this—angry, confused, lost in a situation she had never asked for. But telling her the truth now would only make things worse.

“Why have you been helping me with the artifact?” Elena’s next question came sharp and sudden, her voice rising with urgency. Her eyes locked onto his, seeking clarity in the chaos.

Theo clenched his jaw. He had to tread carefully here. How could he explain that he had been ordered to keep an eye on her, that his involvement had been orchestrated by forces she couldn’t yet comprehend? He couldn’t reveal the depths of it—the truth behind Lucian’s schemes and the dangerous game they were all part of. He also couldn’t admit that somewhere along the way, his reasons had shifted, grown personal, wrapped in something he hadn’t anticipated.

“I can’t tell you,” he replied, the words almost bitter on his tongue.

Elena’s eyes blazed, anger and disbelief warring on her face. She was silent for a moment, the tension radiating off her in waves as she processed his response. Then, with a sharp exhale, she turned her head away, as if trying to gather her thoughts.

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“What can you tell me, Theo?” she asked, her voice quiet but insistent. There was a vulnerability there now, a quiet plea hidden behind her frustration. She wanted—needed—something to hold onto.

Theo looked at her for a long moment, the weight of the silence heavy between them. He could see the toll this was taking on her. She had been thrust into a world that made no sense, with no explanation, no guide, and now the one person who should offer her clarity was keeping her in the dark. It wasn’t fair. He knew that. But it was safer this way.

“Elena,” Theo began, his voice softening as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “I know you’re frustrated. You have every right to be. But if I don’t give you answers right now, it’s because I’m trying to protect you. There are things at play here, things you’re not ready to know.” He paused, watching her carefully as the tension between them ebbed and flowed. “I will tell you everything, I promise, but for now, I need you to trust me.”

Her gaze softened, the sharpness in her expression fading slightly as she looked down at the table, tracing the edge of the wood with her fingers. He could see the internal struggle, the way she fought to hold onto her need for answers while grappling with the trust he was asking for.

Finally, after a long pause, she sighed, lifting her eyes back to his. “Alright,” she murmured, her voice quiet but firm. “I’ll trust you—for now. But I can’t keep being left in the dark.”

The knot in Theo’s chest tightened. He didn’t deserve her trust, not after all the lies he had told and the secrets he was still keeping. But it was the only way to keep her safe, even if it meant pushing her away. He felt the weight of those unspoken words settle between them, a reminder of how fragile their current understanding truly was.

Theo stood up slowly, his movements careful, controlled. The room felt too small, too confined with everything left unsaid between them. The creature, the artifact, the truth he had to shield from her—it was all pressing in on him.

“There’s a guest room down the hall,” he said, his voice softer now. “You should get some rest. You’ve had a long day, and there’s a lot we still don’t understand. I’ll go back to your apartment and grab some of your things.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly, her voice soft and sincere.

Theo nodded, offering a small, weary smile.

For the first time since their conversation had started, a faint smile touched her lips. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to ease some of the tension that had wrapped itself around them. She sighed, running a hand through her hair, the exhaustion finally catching up with her.

Theo motioned toward the hallway, and Elena stood, following him down the dimly lit corridor. The silence between them now was different—not heavy with frustration, but with the weight of everything that remained unspoken. He led her to the guest room, a quiet, simple space with soft bedding and curtains that dimmed the glow of the streetlights outside. She stood in the doorway for a moment, taking it in, before glancing back at him.

“You should get some sleep,” Theo said gently, his voice carrying a note of finality. “I’ll take care of everything.”

Elena hesitated, her eyes searching his face one last time for some kind of reassurance. When she found none, she simply nodded, stepping inside the room. She looked small standing there, surrounded by the quiet, the shadows stretching long in the soft light. For a brief moment, Theo wanted to say something more—anything that would give her peace of mind. But the words wouldn’t come.

“Goodnight,” she said softly.

“Goodnight, Elena.”

He closed the door gently behind her, the sound of the latch clicking into place echoing through the silent house. Theo stood there for a moment, his hand lingering on the doorknob, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on him. The thing that had attacked them, the questions surrounding the artifact, the lies he was spinning to keep her safe—it was all spiraling out of control. And he had no idea how much longer he could keep the darkness at bay.

As he walked back down the hallway, the night seemed to grow colder, the shadows creeping closer. Theo pulled his jacket tighter around him as he stepped out. The chill of the outside air biting at his skin as he stepped into the night. He would go to her apartment, gather her things, make sure everything was secure. But as he walked, his mind kept circling back to one inescapable thought: no matter how much he tried to shield her from the truth, it was only a matter of time before the darkness came for them both.