On the other end of the call, Valerie had gone completely still.
"Regina?" she called, voice tight. "Regina, what happened—"
Only static answered her for a second.
Then—
"VICIOUS CITY EXPERIENCE," Regina's voice returned breathlessly, far too cheerful for someone who had just been almost flattened by a car. "Anyway, I'm alive."
Valerie exhaled sharply. "Are you insane?!"
"I prefer spiritually unbothered," Regina said, clearly walking now. "Also, I just had a near-death experience and you're yelling at me? Typical."
Valerie rubbed her forehead, already overwhelmed. "You got hit by a car and your conclusion is sarcasm?"
"I wasn't hit," Regina corrected. "I was… lightly introduced to the pavement."
There was a pause.
Then Valerie, despite herself, let out a strained laugh. "You're unbelievable."
"I know," Regina said smugly. "Now tell me your tragic life update. I've been gone a month, I deserve entertainment."
Valerie opened her mouth—
Then froze.
"…Wait," she said slowly. "Where's my grocery bag?"
A beat of silence. "…Oh."
"…Oh no."
Valerie straightened instantly. "Regina."
"I think," Regina said carefully, "I may have left my vegetables on the road."
A long silence stretched between them.
Then Valerie, in a very tired voice, said "It's fine. They are just vegetables."
Regina sighed. "I'll go back for it."
"Are you serious right now?" Valerie snapped immediately.
"But my wallet is in it."
"…Regina."
Valerie mouth dropped open.
"Be ready to pay for whatever you broke then."
Regina whined, "There's nothing more broke than me right now!"
Valerie laughed, "I'll see you tomorrow at our usual spot?"
Regina whined some more, "Pick me up then and bring my Baby Roe."
"Yeah, yeah sure."
Feeling drained Valerie flopped on the bed and slept
…
Azreal came back to the mansion late. His wounds had worsened with his busy schedule.
The door shut behind him quietly, but Azrael didn't move right away. His fingers were still on his tie when his gaze lifted—and stopped.
Valerie was on his bed.
Not just sitting. Not resting.
She was sprawled right in the center like she owned the place, one arm above her head, her hair spread across the pillow in a soft, careless mess. She looked completely at ease, like this was where she belonged.
His eyes lingered longer than they should have.
Then he moved.
He loosened his tie, pulling it off, then shrugged out of his coat. His shirt followed, peeling away from his back where the bandage had already soaked through. The fabric stuck slightly, and his brows tightened as he reached for the scissors.
A clean cut, and the bandage came off.
The sting spread instantly, sharp and raw, but he ignored it like it wasn't even worth acknowledging.
He stepped closer to the bed and lowered himself onto the other side, careful despite the way his muscles protested. The mattress dipped slightly under his weight. He lay on his front for a second, exhaling slowly, before turning his head.
His gaze fell on her again.
She hadn't moved.
Her breathing was steady, her face relaxed, her lashes resting against her cheeks like nothing in the world could touch her.
For a moment, he just watched.
The painkillers were heavy in his system, dulling the edges of everything, making the moment feel unreal, like he wasn't fully inside it. Maybe that was why she didn't seem real either.
She had said it before—he treated her like a toy.
His lips curved faintly, but there was no humor in it.
As if she hadn't been the one quietly uprooting everything in his life without even realizing it.
His fingers lifted slowly, almost without his permission, and brushed against her cheek. Her skin was warm, soft under his touch, and for a second, his hand stilled there.
This might be her second time seeing him.
But he had seen her far more than that.
Enough to remember the smallest things. The way she avoided eye contact when she was embarrassed. The way her voice stumbled when she got flustered. The way she looked at Roe like he was her entire world.
How was he supposed to let her go now?
Now that she was here.
Within reach.
The memory of that night flickered through his mind again, sharp and intrusive. The moment he saw her in that hotel, the way something in him snapped into focus, the way he had barely held himself back.
He had wanted to take her.
Not gently.
Not reasonably.
Just take her and lock her somewhere no one else could see.
A low, rough chuckle slipped out of him.
"...Pathetic."
He closed his eyes briefly, the weight of it settling in his chest.
He really was no different from the men he despised.
His hand dropped back onto the bed, and the exhaustion finally dragged him under. The ache in his back, the dull haze in his head, everything blurred together until—
He slipped into sleep.
…
When he opened his eyes again, she was there.
Too close.
Valerie leaned over him, her hair falling forward like a curtain, brushing against his arm as she smiled down at him. It wasn't the guarded, annoyed smile she gave him when she was flustered. This one was bright, playful, almost mischievous.
Like she wasn't wary of him here.
Like she didn't think twice about being this close.
His chest tightened at the sight.
He lifted his hand slowly, reaching toward her face—
But just before his fingers could touch her, she leaned back with a soft laugh, slipping out of his reach.
"Too slow."
Her voice carried a teasing lilt, light and unbothered, like this was nothing more than a game to her.
She turned and ran, her steps light, almost bouncing as she glanced back at him over her shoulder. Her finger curled slightly, beckoning him forward, her smile widening when she saw him move.
"Come on, Azrael… catch me."
He pushed himself up immediately, something restless stirring in his chest as he followed her. She wasn't running far, just enough to stay ahead, just enough to make him chase.
Every time he got close, she would laugh and slip away again, turning just enough to look at him, her eyes bright with amusement.
He reached for her again.
Missed.
She spun lightly, her hair brushing against his arm as she moved past him, her laughter softer this time, like she was enjoying this far too much.
"Almost," she teased.
His jaw tightened slightly, but he followed again.
Faster this time.
Closer.
He could feel it now—the distance shrinking, the moment where his hand would finally close around her—
But she slipped away again, light on her feet, looking back at him with that same playful smile, like she knew exactly what she was doing.
"Why are you so slow?" she laughed, her voice softening when she said his name again. "Azrael…"
She said it so easily.
Like it belonged to her.
Something in his chest pulled tighter at that.
This wasn't real.
He knew it.
And yet he didn't stop.
Because every time she looked back at him like that, smiling, waiting, it felt like something he had been chasing for a long time without realizing it.
And every time he almost caught her—
She slipped away again, laughing softly, still just out of reach.
Just then she apeared right before him.
"Are you okay-Ah!"
He flipped her over, catching her lips.