The cold drops of rain slipped in through the broken window, yet the room's temperature felt like someone had thrown it into the flames of a fireplace.
After the gunshot, everything froze for a heartbeat. The smoke slowly spread through the air, and everyone held their breath, watching to see who had fallen.
Zoya's heart was pounding so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest. She jerked her gaze forward —
Hamza's arm was bleeding, the wound fresh, but the bullet's path… had gone straight into Ilyas's elder brother's shoulder.
He staggered back but didn't fall. A strange, mocking smile curled his lips.
"So… your hands still shake, Khan?" he said in a deep growl, as if the bullet itself had been an insult.
Ilyas replied in a hard voice, "If my hands hadn't shaken… that bullet would have gone straight into your heart."
Rohan was still standing close to Zoya, a strange calm in his eyes.
"I warned you… but you never listen."
Zoya yanked her hand free and stepped back. "Whose side are you on, Rohan?"
He gave a soft chuckle. "I only play for myself… and I always win."
Through the roar of the rain came another explosion — probably outside in the parking lot.
Hamza seized the moment, grabbed Zoya's hand, and said, "We have to get out of here, now!"
Ilyas laid down covering fire, and the three of them dashed for the exit.
From behind came his brother's voice:
"Khan! This is your last escape… next time, you won't have the time to run!"
The rain had grown heavier now. Their feet slipped on the slick ground, but fear kept them moving.
Zoya glanced at Ilyas — blood and rain mingled on his face, and in his eyes was a faint glimmer… perhaps of rage, perhaps of grief.
"That… was your brother?" she asked hesitantly.
Ilyas gave no answer, just kept moving faster.
Hamza glanced back. "They're pulling out the cars — we have no more than five minutes!"
They slipped into an old building. The wooden door groaned shut on rusty hinges.
Ilyas switched on the light a small room, a broken chair, and an old map pinned to the wall.
Hamza traced his finger across the map. "They've brought your brother back… which means Nazli isn't just after revenge now. She's after the throne."
Ilyas looked to Zoya. "Are you alright?"
She nodded, but her eyes were a storm of questions.
A Quiet Moment
When Hamza stepped into the next room, Zoya stood by the window, watching the rain.
Ilyas walked up quietly. "Zoya… I know this isn't easy for you."
"Easy?" Zoya let out a bitter laugh. "I've watched my husband fight among enemies… and today I learned that your enemy is your own blood."
Ilyas gently took her hand. "Blood doesn't always guarantee loyalty… sometimes, it's the deadliest poison."
For a moment, they stood in silence, their hearts speaking in place of word.
Hamza returned, holding a phone and some old documents.
"I traced something… Nazli's next attack will be on your main base, Khan."
Ilyas decided instantly. "We won't let her attack first… we'll go to her."
Zoya looked at him questioningly. "And if it's a trap?"
Ilyas smiled faintly. "Then she'll be the one caught in it — not us."
The three of them set off into the dark of the night. The rain had eased into a soft drizzle.
The car turned onto a deserted road — and came to a sudden stop.
In the middle of the road stood a man.
The headlights lit up his face… Ilyas's elder brother. But this time, he wasn't alone.
To his right stood Nazli, and to his left… Rohan.
Ilyas stared in disbelief. "Rohan…?"
Rohan smiled. "Khan… did you think I was your friend? This game… now belongs to me."
It was as if the camera froze on their faces, raindrops still falling, before the scene faded into darkness.
The soft tapping of rain drops echoed against the windows. In the dim light of the room, only the flame of a candle swayed gently.
Zoya sat at the edge of the bed, tending to her wet hair. On her face was a blend of shyness and unease. Ilyas Khan stood by the door, watching her with his signature mix of pride and silence.
"Zoya…" His deep, heavy voice carried both command and allure — enough to make her heartbeat quicken.
"Yes…" Zoya lowered her gaze.
Ilyas stepped forward slowly. With each step, his presence pressed heavier onto hers, as if he were tightening a circle around her.
"Look at me…" He gently lifted her chin with his hand. Zoya's breath grew uneven.
"Did I not tell you that it's forbidden to look away from me?" His tone held that dangerous softness.
Zoya gave a faint nod, but Ilyas's eyes drew even closer.
"You know… when you stay quiet like this, it makes me want to pull you even closer."
In one swift motion, he wrapped his arms around her. Zoya's heart pounded hard, but she couldn't stop herself. Her eyelids closed as Ilyas brushed her wet hair to one side and whispered near her ear,
"The scent of rain… and you… this combination is deadly."
A faint smile appeared on Zoya's lips, but the next moment, Ilyas took her hand and drew her to stand in the center of the bed. His grip was so firm that Zoya felt he would never let her go.
"Ilyas… someone might come," she murmured.
"This is Khan's house, Zoya… here, only what Khan wants will happen."
He paused for a moment, then slowly brought her face closer to his. Zoya felt her heart almost stop. The world around her seemed to fade, leaving only Ilyas's heartbeat and his scent.
With a soft yet intoxicating touch, Ilyas brushed his lips against hers. Zoya's body shivered instantly. This wasn't an ordinary touch — it was one laced with power, possession, and desire. The moment deepened quickly, as though both had forgotten every reality around them.
Zoya's breaths were ragged, but the thought of breaking free from Ilyas's grasp never even crossed her mind.
"You are mine, Zoya… and you always will be," he said with dangerous certainty.
Ilyas placed her hand over his heart.
"This heartbeat… exists only because of you. If you go away… it will stop."
Softly, Zoya replied,
"I'm not going anywhere, Ilyas…"
For a fleeting moment, there was tenderness in his eyes, but he quickly returned to his usual, proud demeanor.
"Remember, no one can touch what belongs to Khan."
Suddenly, a loud explosion came from outside. Both startled. Ilyas immediately pushed Zoya behind him and grabbed his weapon from the table.
"This rainy night… might not end peacefully, Zoya."
Fear edged her voice. "What happened?"
Looking toward the door, Ilyas spoke seriously,
"Someone dares to come to Khan's house… and they will pay dearly for that mistake."
Zoya's heart still beat under the spell of his touch, but now a strange fear joined it.
As Ilyas turned to leave, he looked back one last time.
"Lock the door… until I return, trust no one."
Zoya walked to the window and saw shadowy figures blurred in the rain… That night, love and danger had both entered her life together.
The rain had grown heavier now. Along with the sound of drops hitting the street outside the window, there was a faint echo of gunfire in the distance.
Zoya's fingers were still trembling slightly, as though the intensity of Ilyas's touch and words still resonated through her veins.
She stood there, slowly parting the curtains. The shadowy figures had become clearer now — several men were moving quickly toward the gate, each armed. For a moment, Zoya's heart seemed to stop.
Suddenly, Ilyas's deep voice thundered from below:
"Take position! No one who dares enter Khan's house should leave alive!"
His voice carried that same authority, that same command that somehow stirred confidence and fear at the same time.
Zoya stepped back from the window, but her heart refused to obey. She knew Ilyas had told her to stay in the room, yet her feet moved on their own toward the door.
Descending the stairs, she saw him Ilyas, in his black coat, looking as dangerous in the wet night air as he would on a battlefield. In one hand a pistol, in the other a dagger, and in his eyes that same lethal calm.
"Zoya… I told you to stay upstairs!" he barked, turning toward her.
"I can't leave you alone, Ilyas," Zoya's voice carried both fear and defiance.
He looked at her for a moment in her rain-speckled eyes there was fear, yes, but also a strange determination.
He stepped closer, cupped her face in one hand, and spoke softly,
"If anything happens to you… Zoya, I'll burn the whole world down."
In that moment, love and danger pulsed together between them. But there was no time an explosion shook the gate. Splinters of wood and clouds of smoke burst into the air.
Ilyas instantly pulled Zoya behind him and took position near the door.
"There's a rule in Khan's house… whoever steps in, never walks out!"
The shadowy figures were inside now masked, their eyes glinting with brutality. The first rain of bullets began. Ilyas dropped two men in quick succession, but the rest spread out.
For the first time, Zoya saw Ilyas in his true combat form — every movement calculated, every shot precise, every step a message of death.
But then… one masked man headed straight for her. Ilyas turned, and for a split second, there was pure panic in his eyes.
"Zoya! Down!" he shouted, and in the same instant, he fired over her shoulder. The man collapsed at her feet, blood mingling with the rainwater.
Ilyas immediately grabbed her hand, pulling her against his chest.
"This is my promise… as long as I'm alive, no one will ever touch you."
The gunfire slowly died down, and the remaining attackers fled. But Zoya's heart was still racing — both for love, and from the fear that one day this war might take her Ilyas away.
Ilyas looked into her eyes, took a breath, and with his wet hand, gently touched her cheek.
"This rain now carries only the scent of blood… but your presence is what keeps it alive."