The city felt colder that night, as if it sensed the storm brewing inside Zariah's chest.
She stood on the rooftop of her building, the wind tugging at her coat, her eyes tracing the glow of skyscrapers and traffic below. The flash drive from Nova weighed heavily in her pocket. She hadn't plugged it in. Not yet. The fear of what it might reveal kept her frozen.
Footsteps behind her.
She didn't have to turn to know it was Dorian.
"I figured I'd find you here" his voice was low, almost carried of by the wind.
Zariah inhaled slightly. "Are you following me?"
"No" he said softly. "I'm protecting you. Whether you believe that or not."
She faced him. The city lights framed him like a shadowed outline, tall, still and unreadable. But tonight, he looked tired. Like the weight of his own secret has finally worn him down.
"Tell me the truth" she said. "Did you know my mother before?"
How silence said too much.
"Dorian"
His jaw clenched. He stepped closer, until the speed between them was a breath. "Yes" he admitted. "I knew her"
The are seemed to crackle around them.
"She trusted you," Zariah whispered. "And she died."
"I didn't kill her" Dorian said, voice rough. "But I failed her. And I swore I wouldn't fail you."
Her heart ached at the truth in his eyes. But didn't erase betrayal.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want you to look at me the way you're looking at me right now"
She turned away, blinking back tears. The wind tangled her hair, chilled her skin. She felt him behind her, the heat of him, the pull she hated needing.
Then she felt his hands, tentative, resting on her arm. The gentlest touch.
"I don't want to loose you" he said, barely audible.
Against her better judgement, she let her lean into him. Just for a moment. His arms wrapped around her anchoring her and for the first time in days she let herself breathe.
His lips brushed the top of her forehead, feather-light. A promise or an apology - maybe both.
But the storm inside hadn't passed. And she knew the truth still waited, just beneath the surface.