Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 204

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Chapter 204

There was no hesitation in it.

No doubt

“I paid for it in cash. Made sure nothing traced back to me.” She gestured lightly toward the kitchen. There’s local company that comes up once a month cleans, donates anything close to expiring, restocks it

Her expression shifted, quieter now.

“After our… first encounter,” she added, “I thought about leaving everything behind and coming here

Julian’s jaw tightened slightly.

“I’m glad you didn’t,” he said. “I might never have found you.”

Kaelani’s lips curved faintly.

“That’s kind of the point of this place.”

She paused, a hint of dry humor slipping through.

“Lucky for you… for us… your beta has a very trusting disposition.”

Julian let out a quiet breath, a faint smile pulling at his mouth.

“Yeah,” he said. “He’s definitely getting a raise. A big one.”

Kaelani smiled at that.

Julian’s expression shifted again as he looked around the cabin.

“So you were just… prepared to live here? Alone?”

Kaelani gave a small shrug, like the answer didn’t carry the weight it should have.

“There are worse things than being alone.”

Julian’s gaze lingered on her.

“Maybe,” he said. “But I hate that you believed it was your only option.”

Kaelani didn’t answer right away.

Something in her expression shifted–caught between a smile and something older, quieter, like a memory brushing too close to the surface.

Then it was gone.

She shook it off.

“Come here.”

Her hand found his again, easy this time. No hesitation. No second–guessing. It just felt right.

She didn’t look at him as she led him toward the back of the cabin, pushing the door open and stepping out into

the open

air.

The world beyond stretched wide and endless.

The trees fell away into a vast expanse of rolling mountains, their peaks layered one after another, fading into soft blue as they met the horizon. The sky above was open and clear, the wind sweeping through unobstructed, carrying the scent of pine and something colder, cleaner.

Freedom

They walked side by side, hands still linked, the ground sloping gently beneath their feet as they moved farther

out.

A few quiet minutes passed, filled only by the sound of the wind.

Then the edge came into view.

Julian slowed as the realization settled in.

They were at the top.

The mountain dropped off sharply beyond them, the valley below sprawling wide and untouched, sunlight catching along the ridges and spilling into the distance.

His breath caught slightly.

“What a view.”

Kaelani’s lips curved as her gaze drifted out over it.

“It is,” she said softly. “So open. So free.”

Julian didn’t answer.

He was already looking at her.

The wind caught a loose strand of her hair, pulling it across her face. His hand lifted without thinking, brushing it back, his fingers lingering just a second longer than needed.

“I’ve seen views like this more times than I can count,” he said. “But this one’s different. Everything just looks better… with you in it.”

Kaelani smiled, her gaze dropping as the warmth of his words settled somewhere she didn’t quite know how to hold.

Her eyes shifted–and caught on the dark stain spreading through his shirt.

Her smile faltered.

“Oh my god.”

Julian glanced down, like he hadn’t noticed it until now. The fabric at his side was soaked through, the color crimson and spreading.

“Oh…” he exhaled softly. “Didn’t even feel it.”

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