CHAPTER 34: WHEN THE GUARD BREAKS

(Evelina’s POV—Ambush Site, Inside the Crashed Car)

Metal screamed.

Glass shattered.

My body lurched forward—but an arm like steel slammed across my torso, stopping me just before my skull kissed the dashboard.

Rowan.

His voice cracked through the chaos, sharp and lethal: "MISS—DON’T MOVE!"

Outside, tires screeched. Engines roared. Dark silhouettes circled the crushed car like wolves smelling blood.

The windows were cracked, spiderwebbed with broken glass. Smoke curled from the hood.

DING!!!!

[System: WARNING. Hostile Units: 12. Target: YOU.]

Of course. Twelve again. This game had no imagination.

My breath sharpened—not fear. Calculation.

"Rowan," I said, cold and steady despite the smoke, "status."

He scanned the surroundings in half a heartbeat.

"Four vehicles. Twelve men. Surrounding us at all angles." His voice dropped lower. "Professionals."

I clicked my tongue. "Why is it always twelve?"

He shifted, muscles coiling beneath his suit. "Miss. We need to move. Now."

A shadow approached the left window—gun lifted. Rowan reacted before the man could breathe.

CRACK!!!

The window exploded outward as Rowan slammed his elbow through it, grabbed the attacker by the wrist, and twisted—SNAP.

A scream tore the air, cut short as Rowan yanked the man’s head into the shattered glass. Blood sprayed. The body dropped.

I didn’t even flinch.

Another one aimed at the right side.

Rowan’s voice thundered: "DOWN!"

I ducked—BANG! BANG! BANG!!

Bullets tore through the air, shattering the remaining glass. The interior filled with smoke and dust. Through the haze, I saw movement—three men rushing from the front, another circling the back, and—

DING.

[System: Teleportation Point READY. Your life is in danger. Would you like to use Teleportation Point?]

[ YES ]  [ NO ]

"Not now, you useless piece of—"

I slammed NO.

TRING!!!!

It blinked out of existence.

"MISS—!" Rowan’s voice thundered, slicing through the chaos. "WE NEED TO ESCAPE!"

He grabbed the back of my neck and shoved me down just as another burst of bullets shredded the headrest where my skull had been seconds ago.

I glared. "I KNOW that!"

He continued, urgent but razor-sharp: "They aren’t here to warn us. They came with a plan. They’re herding us."

Another impact—CRASH!!! The car rattled violently as a second vehicle rammed into us from behind.

Smoke rose. Tires screeched on asphalt. Shadows approached from every direction.

"Tch..." I hissed under my breath. "Damn it. Fine. We escape."

Rowan didn’t hesitate.

With a single brutal strike—B A M!!!

He shattered the remaining window with his elbow. Glass exploded outward into the wind.

Without warning, he grabbed a large shard and pressed it up defensively, shielding me from incoming bullets as he wrapped his other arm tightly around my waist.

His voice lowered into a deadly whisper beside my ear.

"Our car is totaled." His eyes scanned the sides—front, back, and above—calculating exits like a machine built for war.

I looked up at him sharply. "Then what should we—"

He tilted his head down to meet my gaze—calm in chaos, sharp as a blade.

"Miss," he asked, deep and composed, "Do you know how to swim?"

My brain short-circuited."...Pardon?"

Then—I followed his gaze.

And I froze.

We were on a bridge.

A long, high bridge. And beneath us— A massive, churning river. Wind slapped my face. The roar of water rose like a beast waking.

I stared at him in disbelief. "I—Rowan—"

But he wasn’t listening anymore. His jaw locked. His arm tightened around my waist. He made the decision already.

"Alright," he said, terrifyingly calm. "Hold on. We jump."

My blood turned to ice. "WAIT—WAIT, NO—I DON’T—"

He scooped me into his arms with zero hesitation—a perfect bridal carry in the middle of a death scene. Bullets rained behind us, humming past our ears.

"ROWAN—DON’T YOU DARE—"

He stepped onto the broken edge of the bridge rail.

"Miss," he said with a final bow of his head—as if saluting his queen before war. "I will not let you die today."

"ROWAN—!!! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SWI—YOU BASTARD—DON’T YOU—STOP—STOP—STOP—"

And—

SPLAAAAAASH!!!!!!!!

We plunged off the bridge, crashing into the icy river below. The world vanished in a roar of water and chaos.

***

(Later— Underwater, River Depths)

The moment we hit the water—SPLAAAAAASH!!!!!—the world vanished.

Cold.

Black.

Violent.

The river swallowed me whole, dragging me down like a creature with claws. My breath ripped out of my lungs in a burst—panic seizing every nerve.

The shock was brutal.

Water roared into my ears. Pressure crushed my ribs. Something dragged at my dress, pulling me deeper.

I can’t breathe—I opened my mouth—A mistake.

Water surged in, burning down my throat like ice and knives. My limbs flailed—blind, frantic—but everything felt heavy, slow, suffocating. My vision fractured into shadows and bubbles.

No—no—no—I refuse—I’m not dying here—

But my body... was losing the battle.

"Ro—" I tried to call his name underwater, but only bubbles escaped.

My chest convulsed. My thoughts blurred into static. The river twisted me, slammed me sideways against something hard—rocks? The current spun me again.

Where—Rowan—?

I couldn’t tell which way was up. My lungs screamed. My heartbeat slowed. Darkness crept in—slow, then swallowing everything—

And then—GRAB!!!

A hand.

Iron-hard fingers closed around my wrist. Warm. Anchoring. Alive. Even through the icy water—I knew.

Rowan.

He pulled—hard—dragging me out of the downward current in a single brutal motion. My body collided with his chest, my face pressing against soaked fabric and solid muscle.

His arm locked around my waist like a steel band. His other hand cupped the back of my head, holding me steady as he kicked powerfully upward.

He didn’t panic.

He didn’t shake.

He moved like the river was nothing more than an obstacle in his way. My eyes flickered open—blurry from the sting—but I saw him.

Rowan looked like a submerged weapon—cold, focused, frighteningly calm—his jaw clenched, his gaze sharp even beneath the rippling water.

He tightened his hold on my waist and pulled me up against him, his body shielding mine from debris as we ascended.

But I couldn’t breathe. My lungs spasmed painfully. Black spots burst at the edges of my vision. I reached weakly toward him—fingers trembling—trying to grab onto something, anything.

He saw it.

His eyes snapped down to me—cold intensity flaring.

His hand slid from my back to my jaw, gripping firmly—not roughly, but with absolute command—as if forcing my fading consciousness to stay anchored to him.

His mouth formed my name underwater.

"Miss."

I couldn’t hear it, but I saw it. And he swam harder.

His kicks cut through the water like blades. His grip on me never loosened—not even for a second. The river’s wild currents slammed against him, pulling at his shoulders and yanking his clothes, but he fought through it with terrifying strength.

I felt myself slipping—my body heavy, limbs numb, breath gone—Then—Light.

A shimmer above us.

The surface.

Rowan’s grip tightened around me like a vow.

He wasn’t letting go.

He surged upward—faster, harder—

Until—B R E A C H !!!

We broke through the surface in a violent explosion of water and cold air. I gasped—but nothing entered my lungs.

My body convulsed.

Rowan hauled me up fully onto him, one arm around my chest, keeping my head above water as he trod with powerful strokes. His breath was harsh but steady—controlled.

"Miss," he barked, voice rough from cold and effort, "stay awake!"

I coughed—once—weak, useless. His hand gripped my jaw again, forcing my face upward.

"Look at me," he commanded, voice deeper, sharper, almost feral. "Do. Not. Close. Your. Eyes."

I tried.

But the world kept dimming. He cursed—a low, deadly sound vibrating through his chest against my back.

His lips came close to my ear.

"I’m getting you out," Rowan growled, breath harsh against my ear. "Do not leave my side. Not here. Not now. This is not why you are here."

What does he mean—?

Water hammered against my ears, drowning out everything except his words pounding in my skull.

"Please do not close your eyes."

His tone was no longer the disciplined neutrality of a bodyguard.

This was something else.

Something unfiltered.

Something cracked open.

Something raw.

Possessive.Terrifying.And... unwavering.

His grip around me tightened, dragging me up against his chest as he swam harder, faster, as if the river itself dared challenge him.

Every movement was pure violence—against the water, against the current, against fate itself.

My consciousness flickered—black spots smudging the edges of my vision. My chest spasmed violently, searching for breath that wasn’t there.

But Rowan’s voice kept pulling me back.

"Miss. Stay with me.""Miss.""Look at me."

But the water was too cold.

My limbs were too numb.

The darkness was too easy.

His arm locked around my waist, his other hand cradling my head above water. His cheek brushed my temple as he pushed forward, breaths ragged but steady.

He was holding me.

No—carrying me.

Owning the weight of both our lives.

The riverbank came into view—a distant smear of shadow. Still too far. Still unreachable.

And he did not let go.Not once.

The world was dimming. Fading. Slipping out of my grip like water through fingers.

But he—Kept pulling me to shore. Kept dragging me out of death’s mouth. Until—His boots hit ground.

He surged upward with the last of his strength, hauling me onto the muddy riverbank. The cold air slapped my face, sharp and brutal.

He didn’t stop.

He dragged me higher onto the embankment, his hands gripping my waist, my shoulders, anywhere he could hold, as if terrified the river would steal me back.

The world tilted.

My lungs spasmed painfully, choking on water and air.

Rowan leaned over me—drenched, panting, eyes wild.

Wild.

Not calm.

Not neutral.

Not disciplined.

"Miss," he breathed, chest heaving. "Open your eyes."

I tried.

My lashes trembled.

But my vision blurred—colors smearing into nothing. Water clogged my throat. My body felt heavy, distant.

Rowan’s expression shifted. From disciplined—to desperate and....

DARK!!!!!