Chaos dropped the man from his grip.
The attacker hit the ground with a heavy thud, motionless, blood pooling beneath him.
Chaos didn't even look down. He rushed straight to Kashi.
"Kashi," he said, his voice rough, almost unsteady.
The sound of it barely registered in her spinning mind.
Shaky? she thought faintly.
Why was his voice like that?
From everything she had ever heard about Chaos Riegrow, from the endless articles and ruthless stories, he was supposed to be cold. Composed. Untouchable. A man who didn't tremble.
He was practically a stranger to her.
And yet here he was, kneeling over her like the world had just tilted off its axis.
Kashi's strength was nearly gone, her vision blurring at the edges, but she forced out a weak breath of a sentence. "What… took you so long?"
Chaos let out a quiet, disbelieving breath and scooped her into his arms.
His hands, blood dripping slowly from them, but he shifted his hands slightly, trying to hide the damage from her view.
"Hey," he murmured softly. "Hey… look at me, Saints."
His voice had dropped lower now, steadying itself by sheer force of will.
"I'm here now," he said.
There was a tremor buried beneath the calm, rage, guilt, something darker that flickered through his eyes before he buried it again.
"You're safe, Kashi."
Kashi's hands weakly clutched the front of his shirt, trembling as her fingers curled into the fabric like it was the only solid thing left in the world. She pressed closer without thinking, as if she could hide inside his arms and disappear from everything that had just happened.
Chaos tightened his hold around her instantly.
His chin brushed lightly against her hair as his gaze drifted past her shoulder to the unconscious man sprawled across the rooftop. His eyes burned with something dangerous, something that promised the man's survival tonight was temporary.
Then his attention returned to her.
Softer now, his voice lowered near her ear.
"No one will ever touch you again," he murmured.
The words were quiet.
But they carried the weight of a vow.
"Not while I'm breathing."
And just then, Xavier burst onto the rooftop with Alex and Zarri close behind him.
The moment Zarri saw Kashi, her eyes went wide with shock. She rushed forward so quickly she nearly stumbled over herself.
"Kashi… fuck, fuck, fuck…" she breathed, voice breaking.
Then her gaze snapped to Chaos, then to the unconscious man sprawled on the ground, and fury lit her face.
"Basta!" she shouted, trembling with anger.
Chaos said nothing. He only adjusted Kashi more carefully in his arms, holding her as though she might break if the wind touched her too hard.
"Xavier," he said sharply.
Xavier moved at once. With one hand, he bent down and lifted the unconscious man as if he weighed nothing at all.
Alex frowned, his gaze flicking to Chaos. Chaos gave the smallest shake of his head, a silent answer before the question could even be spoken.
He hadn't killed him.
Alex let out a breath, something like relief passing over his face, though it vanished almost as quickly as it came.
Zarri was already falling apart, caught somewhere between tears and panic as she dropped to Kashi's side.
"I leave you alone for a few minutes and this happens? I'm so sorry, my love," she choked out, her voice thick with guilt.
Kashi let out the faint chuckle. "I'm fine, Zarri… here…" She lifted a trembling hand toward her.
Zarri grabbed it instantly, holding it between both of hers as if she could keep Kashi anchored by sheer force alone.
Chaos looked between them, then tightened his hold around Kashi.
"I'll take her home," he said.
Zarri looked up at him, eyes still wet, then nodded quickly.
"I'll call the family doctor," she said, forcing steadiness into her voice. "And I'll inform her grandfather and Frank."
Chaos left the rooftop with Kashi in his arms, Zarri hurrying beside them. Only Alex and Xavier remained.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Alex walked over to where Xavier still held the man upright with one hand, the attacker hanging limply like a broken puppet. Alex crouched down slowly and tapped the man's cheek a few times.
The man jolted half-awake with a groan.
Alex scoffed. "You young folks don't learn, huh?"
He straightened, shaking his head in mild disbelief.
This idiot just dug his own grave and hasn't even realized it yet.
Xavier remained perfectly still, holding the man with effortless strength, his grip firm around the back of his collar.
Alex pulled out a cigarette and lit it, the flame briefly illuminating his amused expression. Smoke curled lazily into the night air as he took a slow drag.
He leaned closer to the man, watching him carefully.
The attacker's eyes were wide with terror now. Chaos's punches had already done their work, his lips were split and swollen, making it difficult for him to form words or even make a sound.
Alex smiled faintly.
"It's going to be a long night, buddy."