Novels by Menah_writes

POV: DamienWe ran for the stairs at the end of the hall. Silas kept firing from the ceiling. Bullets smashed the mirrors around us. Sharp pieces of glass flew through the air like rain. One piece cut my cheek, but I didn't stop."Go! Go!" I yelled.We burst through the door at the end of the hallway. It led to the very top of the bell tower. It was a wide, open space with huge bells hanging from the wooden beams. The wind blew through the open stone arches. Below us, the city looked small and gray.I looked around for Silas. The room was empty."Where is he?" Sera asked. She was leaning against a beam, trying to catch her breath.Suddenly, a shadow dropped from the ceiling above.Silas landed on his feet like a cat. He didn't have his rifle anymore. He held a long, silver blade in one hand and a pistol in the other. He looked messy. His suit was torn, and his hair looked wild. The calm mask he always wore was finally gone."This is it, Damien," Silas said. He pointed the gun at my ch

## **CHAPTER 128 — “The Hall of Mirrors”****POV: Damien**The stairs to the bell tower were narrow and dark. My boots clicked against the stone. I held my gun out in front of me. Sera followed close behind. I could hear her breathing fast but she didn't stop.We reached a heavy wooden door at the top. I pushed it open with my shoulder.Inside was a long, wide hallway. It was strange. The walls were covered in tall, old mirrors. Some were cracked. Some were dusty. There were dozens of them. I saw myself everywhere I looked. I saw Sera, too. It was hard to tell where the real hallway ended and the reflections began."Stay close to me," I whispered. I took her hand. Her palm was sweaty. "Don't look at the glass. Look at the floor."We started to walk. The only sound was our footsteps. Then, a speaker hidden in the ceiling turned on.A woman started to sing a soft, sweet lullaby.Sera stopped moving. Her hand shook in mine. "That’s her," she whispered. "That’s my mother’s voice.""It is

POV: DamienWe lay together in the dark. Our breathing was slow."We survive," she whispered."That is the only rule for tomorrow. We survive.""We survive," I said as I kissed her hand."Get some sleep," I whispered. I watched her close her eyes. Soon the both of us fell asleep. —————————The morning air in the mountain was cold and sharp. I woke up before the sun was fully up. Sera was still asleep beside me. I stayed still for a moment, just listening to her breathe. I knew that by tonight, the world would be different. Either Silas would be dead, or we would be.I got out of bed and dressed in my dark tactical gear. I checked my belt, my knife, and my handgun. When Sera woke up, she didn't say much. She dressed in the dark clothes we had laid out the night before. We went to the main hub of the fortress. Gideon was standing by the heavy steel door. He looked like he hadn't slept at all. He had a bag of food and water ready for us.I walked up to him. He looked at me, and I saw t

POV: DamienThe plan was different now.I looked at Sera in the dim light of the room. For days, I tried to hide her away. I wanted her in a safe corner where the world could not touch her. But she was right. Silas was never going to stop. He followed us everywhere. The only way to end this was to use the one thing Silas wanted most to lure him into a trap."If we do this," I said. My voice was low. "You aren’t hiding, we have to keep him focused on you that he will forget to look anywhere else."Sera nodded. She picked up a small knife from the table. She ran her thumb along the edge. "Let’s give him what he wants."We trained for the next three hours without mercy.I taught her how to survive a man twice her size. I showed her the soft spots on a body. “Again,” I ordered.I stepped behind her and locked my arm around her neck tightly. My arm pressed against her throat, just enough to scare her not hurt her.“If he grabs you like this, don’t pull away,” I growled in her ear. “Lean b

POV: DamienThe monitors in the war room usually showed nothing but the quiet white snowy mountains But this morning, every screen was lit up playing a tape.Luca was typing so fast and his face was pale. "Boss, you need to see this. Silas isn't hiding anymore. He’s gone loud. He wants the whole world to watch."I walked over to the main console. On the center screen, a news report from the city was playing on a loop. The words at the bottom were bright red: SENIOR COUNCIL MEMBER KIDNAPPED.It was Moretti, One of the oldest men on the High Table. He had survived wars and assassins for thirty years, but someone had snatched him from his own home in broad daylight. His guards were all dead on the grass."He’s started a live stream," Luca whispered. He looked like he wanted to throw up.The screen flickered, and the news was cut off. A grainy video started playing instead.I recognized the room immediately. It was a basement in the old shipyard— the same place where Silas had kept Ser

CHAPTER 122 — “The Quiet Between”POV: SeraThe locket felt heavy in my palm.I was sitting on the edge of the bed in the small, stone-walled room we shared. The fortress was silent now except for the sound of the generators. My father was asleep in the next room, but I couldn't even close my eyes. Every time I did, I heard that scratchy recording of my mother’s voice.Silas was out there in the dark, and he was still using my own heart against me. The door creaked open and Damien stepped in, his silhouette blocking the light from the hallway. He looked exhausted.He didn't say anything. He just sat down on the edge of the bed next to me."I can't stop thinking about it," I whispered, my voice shaking. "How he held onto her things for all these years. It’s like he was always planning to break me."Damien reached out, his large hands covering mine. He gently opened my fingers and took the locket, setting it on the small nightstand. Then, he took both of my hands in his."Look at me, Se

.He cupped her face with both hands and kissed her deeply. Their lips crashed together, parting instantly as their tongues met. He explored her, stroking her tongue with long, passionate licks that made her dizzy. He bit softly on her lower lip, then plunged back in again. She moaned into his mouth, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she kissed him back just as desperately.When they finally broke apart, she was panting, her lips swollen and glistening. Jonathan didn’t give her time to recover. He trailed hot wet kisses down her neck, sucking and licking at her sensitive skin.“Jonathan… don’t … leave marks,” she warned breathlessly, her voice shaky and barely audible. “Please… I can’t—”But even as she said it, her head tilted back, offering him more.His eyes burned with desire as he gently peeled her shirt open, sliding it down her shoulders while staring straight into her eyes. The intensity of his gaze made her heart race. He lowered his head and kissed the swell of her

The taxi pulled up to the curb with a soft screech of tires. Lucy handed the driver a twenty-dollar bill and climbed out before he could make small talk. The cool evening air hit her face immediately. She wrapped her wool coat tighter around herself and stood still for a moment, watching the taxi disappear around the corner.She looked up at the familiar apartment building and felt something inside her chest loosen.By the time she climbed the worn stone steps and reached the front door, she could finally breathe again.She knocked three times and the lock clicked almost instantly.The door swung open.Jonathan stood there in a faded gray sweatshirt and jeans. For a moment neither of them spoke. He simply stared at her as if he couldn't quite believe she was standing there."Lucy."Her throat tightened at the way he said her name. Before she could answer, Jonathan reached for her. She stepped inside and immediately wrapped her arms around him.He held her tightly against his chest, o

The black SUV rolled into the circular driveway and came to a smooth stop in front of the mansion. Before Lucy could reach for the door handle, the driver had already stepped out and opened the trunk. One by one, he lifted the heavy cardboard boxes containing her father's company records and carried them up the stone steps.Lucy followed him inside, her gaze lingering on the boxes. Each one held pieces of her family's past, answers that might explain how everything had fallen apart. The mansion was unusually quiet, Adrian's sports car was nowhere to be seen.The driver carefully placed the last box near the foyer wall before straightening his jacket."Will you be needing anything else this afternoon, Mrs. Matthews?" he asked politely.Lucy hesitated for a moment before reaching into her handbag. She pulled out her wallet and removed several crisp hundred-dollar bills. Stepping closer, she discreetly slipped the money into his hand.The driver looked down at the cash in surprise. "Ma'a

Lucy checked her phone exactly at noon.An email from St. Jude's Private Clinic was at the top of her inbox. Her pulse quickened as she opened it. Inside was a secure link and a temporary password that granted her direct access to her father's medical account.She logged in immediately.For several tense moments, she carefully reviewed every detail on the screen. When she saw that her father's life-support funding was active and all payments were up to date, some of the pressure in her chest finally eased. Adrian had kept his promise.At least for now.Lucy closed the browser and placed her phone on the bed. Sitting in the guest room and staring at the walls would accomplish nothing. Feeling sorry for herself wouldn't save her father or help her understand what had happened to her family's company.She needed answers.Walking to the closet, she selected a black blazer, a crisp white shirt, and dark trousers. After changing, she pulled her hair into a neat bun and studied herself in th

The faint light of dawn filtered through the guest bedroom window. Lucy sat up slowly, her eyes burning from a night without sleep. The mansion had gone quiet again. A few minutes later, she heard the front door open and close downstairs. The sound echoed through the house, and she immediately knew Zoe had finally left.Lucy pushed aside the blankets and headed for the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face and stared at her reflection for a long moment. The hurt was still there, but it was no longer controlling her. She brushed her hair into a neat ponytail and changed into a dark blue sweater and a pair of fitted trousers. If Adrian wanted to treat this marriage like a battlefield, then she refused to walk into the fight looking defeated.A sharp knock sounded at her bedroom door."Mr. Matthews is waiting for you in the dining room," the head butler announced from the other side. "Breakfast is served."Lucy inhaled deeply before opening the door and making her way downstairs.

A loud bang rattled the front door, shattering the silence of the house.Lucy’s heart pounded so hard it hurt. For a second, she sat frozen and confused. Then the banging came again.. louder this time.She quickly stood and smoothed her wrinkled cotton nightgown before hurrying out of the room. The mansion was dark and quiet as she made her way down the hallway and descended the staircase. Her bare feet barely made a sound against the polished floor.When she reached the front door, she unlocked it and pulled it open.A wave of cold night air rushed inside, so did the smell of alcohol.Lucy immediately wished she hadn't opened the door.Adrian stood there with Zoe hanging off him. His tie was loose around his neck, his shirt half-unbuttoned. Zoe could barely stand on her own. Her makeup was smudged, her blonde hair messy, and her bright red lips were curved into a drunken smile.Both of them were laughing, they looked completely comfortable together. As if they belonged together… as