Chapter 109

Margot’s POV:

The sudden loud sound of metal clattering against the rack signaled the end of it. Coban dragged in a breath, chest heaving, before shoving the last barbell into its rightful place.

Sweat slicked down the ridges of his torso, soaking through the thin fabric clinging to him. For a moment, he just stood there, towering and still, his jaw locked tight as though the entire workout hadn’t even scratched the surface of whatever storm churned inside him.

The gym was quiet now, with most coming and going at regular times, unlike these two today…

Beside Coban, Leo let out a long exhale and scrubbed a hand down over his face. “That’s enough for today,” he called to Coban, his voice gravelly. He tugged his shirt over his head, peeling the damp fabric away from his skin. Beneath it, his body was a map of muscle and old scars, the ink of his tattoos stretching across his arms like chains.

Coban followed suit…

My throat tightened as his shirt came off, revealing broad shoulders and rippling abs carved from stone, every line of his body marked with violence – slashes of scar tissue, ink etched deep into skin.

Even after what had happened this morning – his hand locked around my throat, his temper burning so hot I’d thought I’d black out – I still felt my stomach twist with something shameful. Something traitorous.

Mouthwatering.

God, what was wrong with me?

I curled my fingers into my palms, willing myself to look away, but my eyes betrayed me. Every drop of sweat sliding down his chest, every flex of his stomach as he rolled his shoulders back, my gaze tracked it all like a fool.

His eyes flicked toward me suddenly, dark and knowing. My stomach dropped, I snapped my attention to the floor, heat rushing to my cheeks as if I’d been caught red-handed.

Cara’s braid was still snug against my scalp, my hair neat, my hands folded tightly in my lap, but I felt anything but composed. I felt exposed.

Leo was the one to break the silence on their approach…

“We’re heading back to the cells. Shower. Change. Then dinner.” His eyes cut toward Cara, sharp but not unkind. “Let’s go little lady.”

Coban’s shadow fell over me then, heavy and suffocating. “And let’s go, you’re coming with me 'til I shower too,” he muttered, his tone low, final, leaving no room for question.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stand even though my knees trembled. Cara squeezed my hand once more before releasing it, her expression unreadable but her eyes fierce as they darted between me and Coban. I caught the silent warning there, the reminder of our whispered conversation only minutes ago: Dangerous.

I nodded faintly, though the reassurance wasn’t for her – it was for myself.

Leo gestured for Cara to follow, and she did, her posture stiff, defiant in its own way, but their flourishing relationship growing in a different way than Coban’s and mine.

The two of them disappeared through the wide double doors, leaving me behind.

Alone for the first time in a while…

With him.

With his real thoughts and emotions…

Coban didn’t move right away. He just stood there, close enough that I could smell the sweat and faint tang of metal from the weights lingering on his skin. His eyes swept over me slowly, lingering in a way that made my throat burn with shame.

Finally, he jerked his chin toward the exit. “Come on then.”

I fell into step behind him, my heart pounding harder than it had when I’d been sitting in the gym watching him fight invisible demons against a punching bag. The hallway felt narrower than usual, every step echoing against concrete walls, the fluorescent lights overhead buzzing faintly.

I knew where we were going—back to the cell. Our cell. That cramped little space that had already begun to feel like both a cage and a stage for every wrong, dangerous thing going on between us.

The cage he almost killed me in.

The silence only grew as we walked, becoming thick and tense with each step I took behind him. My eyes flicked to his back, to the sweat still rolling down the dip of his spine, and I cursed myself for the thoughts creeping in.

What the hell was wrong with me?

This morning, he’d shown me just how easily he could crush me. And now? Now I was following him back into that same space, my body betraying me with its confusion.

Fear built tight in my stomach, but right alongside it was something else. Something I didn’t want to name…

We reached the cell, the heavy door clanging shut behind us. Coban didn’t look at me right away. Instead, he grabbed a towel from the bunk and dragged it across his face, down his chest, over the taut lines of muscle as if I wasn’t even there.

When he finally did glance at me, the corner of his mouth twitched – not quite a smirk, but close enough to make my pulse trip.

“Don’t just stand there staring,” he muttered. His voice was rough, but lower than usual, less sharp. “We’re not late for dinner yet, there’s time to get comfortable.”

I blinked at him, heat crawling up my neck again, unsure if he was mocking me or if there was something heavier buried in the words.

Either way, I was trapped.

And God help me, I’d make the most of it…

“Why don’t you read? Might help to… settle your mind?” He offered in a hum, thinking up the idea as he grabbed fresh boxer shorts for himself from the dresser.

“Yeah, maybe I should…” I agreed steadily, my eyes falling over to the little collection I was starting to build.

I planned to rush to finish the novel I had started only days ago first, before moving on to the others I had returned with last night.

Coban didn’t speak again after that, only disappeared into the bathroom – kicking the door shut behind him.

I approached the desk, lifting the novel, before returning to the bed with it.

The mattress dipped slightly beneath my weight as I sat, curling my legs up and pulling the book into my lap. The familiar spine bent easily in my hands, pages soft and worn already from the way I’d been thumbing through them every chance I got.

It was a silly story, really – about a girl falling for something she shouldn’t, about monsters who drank blood and promised forever while everyone else warned her to stay away.

Silly, except it wasn’t.

Not to me.

Because every time I opened it, I could forget.

Forget the way Coban’s hand had felt pressed into my throat that morning.

Forget the ache in my chest from the constant push and pull of fear and… whatever the hell else he managed to make me feel.

Right now, I could forget the reality that this was my life now – steel doors, scarred men, and the heavy weight of survival.

At least for ten minutes…