Chapter 108:
Winter’s hands were gentle when they came to rest on her knees, grounding her with his touch. His dark hair hung over his brow, a few stray strands that had come loose from his quick escape.
But Zara was spiralling.
Fuck, winter thought, maybe he hadn’t thought this through. Telling Zara this without any proof would only make her panic.
He leaned forward, trying to bridge the distance between them, offering her some semblance of comfort, though even he was struggling.
"Zara," he said, his voice firm yet soft. "You need to calm down." He held her gaze, trying to steady her thoughts. "Listen to me. We’re not alone here. We’ve just got here, yes, but there have to be others we can trust. The base isn’t just filled with military personnel. You can’t keep thinking that they’ll come for Leo just yet."
His words didn’t seem to reach her, not with the fear gnawing at her insides, a cold, relentless force. What if he’s already planning it? What if they already know everything? Was that why they told them to "take a break?" so they could easily come for her and Leo in their room?
But Winter didn’t give up. He adjusted his position, his knees scraping against the floor as he inched closer to her, his hands wrapping around her wrists, coaxing her out of her spiralling thoughts. "Zara, I know you’re scared. But panicking won’t help. I want you to stay out of sight for a while. Don’t interact with anyone military for now. We need time to figure this out, okay? Just stay out of the way, and we’ll work it out."
He let go of her wrist to cup her cheek and gently get her to meet his gaze. "Come on, breath with me."
Zara swallowed thickly, her eyes flickering over to Leo, who was quietly playing by the drawers. His small hands were grasping at a toy as he mumbled to himself.
"I can’t... I can’t just hide," she choked out, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if they take him? What if they take Leo, Winter?" She didn’t finish the thought. The images in her mind were enough.
Winter’s fingers tightened on her wrist for a moment, his touch both steadying and insistent. "Zara, you need to trust me." His voice was low, almost a growl. This was the base cause of all their issues and the word hit a little too close to home. "We’ll keep him safe. We’ll keep you both safe."