In The Eye Of The Storm - Last Part
Jinx left you standing there, her parting words sinking in like a hook to your ribs.
"Then Iâll just have to make you."
You shouldâve stopped her. Shouldâve grabbed her wrist, forced her to listen.
Because deep down, a part of you knewâ
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Over the next few days, Jinx made good on her promise.
She didnât push too hard. Not at first.
She was smartâknew how to play the game, how to drag things out just long enough to get exactly what she wanted.
Sheâd show up when you least expected itâleaning on the wall outside Silcoâs office, waiting for you after a job, appearing at your doorstep in the middle of the night with some half-assed excuse about "being bored."
She never outright touched you, not in a way that would make you push her away.
But she got close. Too close.
A brush of fingers against your wrist, a fleeting touch to your shoulder, a slow, lazy grin that felt like a warning more than a smile.
And every time, she watched you.
Waiting. Daring you to break first.
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You had spent years killing, surviving, enduring.
Knew how to make you hesitate, how to crawl under your skin, how to make you want things you had no right to want.
No more teasing. No more showing up out of nowhere. No more pushing.
And it was worse. Because now, you were thinking about her. Waiting for her.
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The breaking point came a week later.
You were in The Last Drop, nursing a drink, your mind fogged with exhaustion.
Jinx was there, but she wasnât alone.
She was draped over some guyâsome low-level gang member you barely recognized.
Laughing, touching, grinning.
Your stomach twisted, something bitter curling at the edges of your thoughts.
She knew what she was doing.
And she was waiting for you to react.
You took a slow breath, forcing yourself to look away.
Jinx hated being ignored. So she pushed harder.
The guy leaned in, saying something in her ear. Jinx giggled, tilting her head just enough to look at you.
Your grip on the glass tightened. She smiled.
It wasnât soft. Wasnât sweet.
A loaded gun pressed against your ribs, waiting for you to pull the trigger. Your blood ran hot.
You could feel everyoneâs eyes on youâSilcoâs men, the regulars, even Sevika, who raised a brow from across the room like she was waiting to see what youâd do.
Jinx pulled away, still watching you, her blue eyes gleaming with something dark and triumphant.
And thatâs when you realizedâ
Because the jealousy clawing its way up your throat had nothing to do with being protective.
And everything to do with her.
You slammed your glass down and stood.
Jinx grinned. "Thatâs more like it," she murmured.
Then, without another word, she left.
You followed. You followed her. You shouldnât have.
Every instinct in your body screamed at you to turn around, to walk away, to pretend that kiss hadnât sunk its claws into your ribs and dragged.
But you werenât thinking anymore.
You never thought when it came to Jinx.
She led you through the winding alleys of Zaun, her pace slow, deliberate. She knew you were there. Of course she did. This was a game, and she wanted you to chase.
When she finally stopped, you realized where she had brought youâan abandoned hideout near the docks, one of her old haunts.
Jinx pushed the door open and slipped inside, not bothering to check if you were following.
She already knew you were.
You stepped in after her, the door clicking shut behind you.
Jinx stood in the center of the dimly lit space, her back to you, fingers twitching at her sides.
She didnât turn around.
"You jealous?" she asked, voice light, teasing.
You clenched your jaw. "Jinxâ"
"You are," she cut in, finally turning to face you.
Jinx took a slow step forward, then another, her boots scuffing against the floor. "Youâre pissed," she murmured. "I like it."
Your fists clenched at your sides. "This isnât a game."
She laughedâsoft, breathy, dangerous. "Yeah, it is. You just donât wanna admit youâve been playing this whole time."
She was right in front of you now. Close enough that you could see the way her pupils were blown wide, how her fingers twitched like she wanted to grab you but was waiting for you to break first.
"You gonna stop pretending now?" she asked.
Your breath was shallow. "Pretending what?"
Jinx tilted her head, eyes gleaming. "That you donât want me."
You exhaled slowly, steadying yourself, trying to think.
"You donât know what youâre asking for," you said, your voice rough.
Jinx just grinned. "I know exactly what Iâm asking for."
Her fingers brushed your arm, barely a touch, but it sent something sharp down your spine.
"Youâre mine," she murmured. "Always have been. You just didnât wanna see it."
You swallowed hard. "Jinxâ"
"You keep telling me Iâm too young for you." Her voice dropped lower, almost taunting. "Do I feel too young right now?"
Not because she was unpredictable.
But because she was right.
You had been fighting thisâfighting her, fighting yourselfâfor so long, and now, standing here, with her looking at you like she knew every thought running through your headâ
You werenât sure you could fight anymore.
Jinx watched you, waiting, waiting.
And for the first timeâ
You didnât know if you were strong enough to resist her.
Jinx was waiting for you to break.
You could see it in her eyesâthe way they gleamed with anticipation, the way her breath hitched just slightly when she saw your restraint start to crack.
Knew she had been dragging you closer and closer to the edge, and now?
Now she was just waiting for you to fall.
You could feel her fingers tracing along your arm, light, teasing, testing.
You had spent so long pushing her away, telling yourself it was wrong, that she was too young, that she was off-limits.
But she wasnât a kid anymore.
And she wasnât backing down.
"You gonna stop running?" she murmured, voice low, teasing.
You exhaled sharply. "Jinx, you donâtâ"
She grabbed your jacket, yanking you closer.
"Donât what?" she challenged, her lips inches from yours.
You shouldâve pulled away. Shouldâve shoved her off and walked out the door.
But you didnât. Because she had won.
She had always been winning. And you were so damn tired of fighting it.
Your hand moved on its own, fingers tangling into her hair, yanking her head back just slightly. She gasped at the roughness of it, but the look in her eyes?
"Finally," she breathed, grinning.
Like you were trying to make up for every damn time you told yourself you couldnât.
Jinx didnât hesitateâdidnât waitâjust grabbed onto you like she had been starving for this.
Her hands were everywhereâfisting your jacket, clawing at your shoulders, pulling you closer, closer, closer.
You werenât thinking anymore.
Didnât care if this was a mistake.
Didnât care if this changed everything.
Because in this moment, with Jinx pressed against you, kissing you like she had always belonged to youâ
Not the years you had spent pretending you didnât want this.
Jinx pulled back just enough to smirk at you, her breathing heavy, her pupils blown wide.
"Guess I win, huh?" she murmured.
You exhaled, still gripping onto her like she might disappear. "Yeah," you admitted, voice rough. "You win."
And then she pulled you back into the kiss.
You werenât sure how long you stayed there, tangled with her, lost in the heat of something you had spent years trying to deny.
But eventually, reality crept back in.
Jinx had always been all-consuming, a fire that burned too bright, too wild. But fire wasnât just warmthâit was danger.
You pulled back, breath unsteady, hands still gripping her waist like if you werenât sure you could let her go.
Jinx, of course, noticed.
Her grin softened, her fingers tracing absent patterns against your chest. "You thinking too hard again, sugar?"
You swallowed hard. "This⊠is a mistake."
Jinx groaned, rolling her eyes. "Oh, come onâ"
"Listen to me." You grabbed her wrists, steadying yourself, steadying her. "Thisâ" you gestured between you, "is going to get me killed."
Jinx snorted. "Oh please. Whoâs gonna do it? Silco?"
Her smirk faded. "Oh, you actually thinkâ?" She laughed, shaking her head. "He knows. Heâs always known."
Your stomach twisted. "Thatâs what Iâm afraid of."
Jinx scoffed. "Heâs not gonna touch you."
She frowned, tilting her head. "Youâre mine."
You exhaled, closing your eyes. "Thatâs exactly the problem."
Jinx fell quiet for a second. When she spoke again, her voice was lower, more serious. "Youâre really that scared of him?"
You hesitated. "Iâm scared of what this will cost."
Jinx studied you, her blue eyes searching, calculating. Thenâ
"Donât care," she said simply.
You opened your mouth, but she cut you off.
"I donât care," she repeated, stepping closer again. "You think Iâd let him take you away from me? After this?" She gestured between you, her expression sharp.
"No," she said firmly. "I donât care what Silco thinks. I donât care what Zaun thinks. Youâre mine."
Your heart pounded against your ribs.
And deep down, you knewâthere was no turning back.
Once she decided something belonged to her, she never let go.
You exhaled slowly. "And if Silco tells me to leave?"
Jinx grinned. "Then we blow up his office."
She laughed, tugging you closer. "Relax, angel. Weâll figure it out."
Then, finally, you sighed.
Because there was no fighting this anymore.
"Yeah," you muttered. "We will."
Jinx grinned. "Damn right we will."
And then, just like before, she pulled you back into the kiss.
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