I carry her to the bed.
The world narrows to the warmth of her body beneath my hands, the quiet sounds she makes when I kiss the curve of her neck, the way her fingers trace the scar across my shoulder as if memorizing it.
We move slowly, deliberately, like two people savoring the fragile certainty of the moment.
Every touch carries weight.
Every breath feels important.
At one point she presses her forehead to mine and whispers, “We’re going to win tomorrow.”
I smile against her lips.
“Damn right we are.”
The night stretches around us in warm shadows and quiet laughter, the kind of intimacy that isn’t just physical but threaded with trust and stubborn hope.
Later, when the room grows still again and the world outside the compound remains quiet, we lie tangled together beneath the blankets.
Tilda traces lazy circles across my chest.
“Promise me something,” she murmurs.
“Anything.”
“No matter what happens tomorrow…”
She pauses.
“You keep fighting.”
“For you?”
“For Jesse.”
My chest tightens.
“And for yourself,” she adds softly.
I kiss the top of her head.
“I promise.”
We lie there for a while longer, listening to the distant hum of the compound generators and the soft rhythm of each other’s breathing.
Tomorrow we face the final challenge.
A monster in the arena.
A crime boss waiting for the outcome.
A future that could go a thousand different ways.
But tonight, for the first time in a long time, I feel ready for whatever comes.
CHAPTER 31
TILDA
