Page 26 of His Dark Pull

My heart pounds in my chest. I know I’m in over my head.

Standing up, I walk to the edge of the rooftop, the wind whipping through my hair as if trying to clear the fog from my mind. I need answers, and I won’t let him distract me with his charm and his orchestrated evening.

“Alexander,”I begin, my voice firm despite the tremor in my hands. Where have you been for the last three years?”

He looks at me as if he’s seeing me for the first time. “You look so beautiful tonight, Ava,”he says. “Has anyone ever told you that?”

I frown, refusing to be swayed by his compliments. “Alexander, answer me,”I insist. “Why were you gone?”

He sighs, his expression turning serious. “I was across the country, tt was for the best. Believe me,”he says, his voice heavy with regret. “It had nothing to do with you. I left to protect you.”

His words hit me like a blow to the stomach, the air leaving my lungs in a rush.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with me?Really?”I repeat, my voice is small and broken.

He steps closer, his eyes filled with pain. “Ava, there are things you’re better off not knowing,”he says.

I can’t accept that.

I need to know the truth, no matter how painful it might be. He sees the hurt in my eyes, a reflection of the pain he inflicted years ago, and a flicker of remorse crosses his features. He reaches for my hand, his touch that I both crave and fear. “Let’s not talk about the past, Ava,”he pleads. “Let’s just enjoy this night together.”

I pull away. “I can’t,”I say, my voice trembling. “I need to know.”

He sighs, his shoulders slumping. “Ava, there are some things that are better left unknown,”he says, his gaze dropping to the city lights below.

“Like the Veles Network?”I challenge, watching his reaction.

His expression remains impassive, a mask that conceals the storm I know must be raging within him. A tightening of his jaw betrays his controlled facade.

“Yes,”he admits. “Like the Veles Network.”

I press on. “And who is Kovacs, really? He’s not just a friend, is he?”

His eyes dart away, flickering. “Kovacs is—a name that shouldn’t concern you so much, Ava,”he says, his voice strained.

My fists tremble at my sides, heat rising within me like a simmering pot about to boil over. The unanswered questions, the years of silence.

Who does he think he is?

“Why are you always avoiding my questions?”I say, my voice rising. “I deserve to know the truth.”

He stands, his tall frame towering over me, his eyes dark and intense. “The truth can be a dangerous thing, Ava,”he says, his voice low. “It’s better for you to stay in the dark.”

I know he’s right, that the world he inhabits is filled with shadows I can’t even begin to comprehend.

Yet, I need to know what I’m in for if I am to be with him.

But I’m not getting anywhere.

* * *

We spend the rest of the evening talking about other things, the tension dissipating as he shares stories of his travels, of the places he’s seen and the people he’s met.

As the night wears on, the air grows thick with desire. I can feel his gaze on me, intense, and I know he’s fighting the same battle within himself.

Finally, as the moon reaches its zenith and the city below falls silent, he takes my hand.

“Come with me,”he whispers, his voice husky, his eyes reflecting the same yearning that I feel.