Chapter Seventeen: Marked

There are moments when fear announces itself loudly.

Screaming. Running. Chaos.

And then there are moments like this

quiet, calculated, suffocating.

The message on my phone didn’t blink or disappear. It sat there, patient, like it knew I couldn’t outrun it.

"Tell Dominic he can’t protect what’s already marked."

"Marked."

The word crawled under my skin.

Alex took my phone, his jaw tightening so hard I thought his teeth might crack. Ryan paced the room like a caged animal, hands raking through his hair, anger vibrating off him.

“They shouldn’t have been able to reach you,” Alex said lowly.

“But they did,” I whispered.

Ryan stopped pacing. “Which means Dominic didn’t miscalculate.”

I looked at him. “Then what did he do?”

Ryan met my eyes. “He underestimated how much they’d enjoy using you.”

Cold settled deep in my bones.

Dominic didn’t answer my calls.

Again.

I tried once. Twice. Five times.

Nothing.

Alex noticed. “He’s keeping his distance on purpose.”

“Or he’s already in trouble,” I snapped.

Ryan didn’t contradict me.

That terrified me.

By noon, Alex’s house felt less like shelter and more like a cage. Every sound outside made my heart stutter. Every passing shadow set my nerves on edge.

I sat at the kitchen island, fingers clenched around a mug I hadn’t touched.

“I can’t just sit here,” I said.

Ryan scoffed. “You absolutely can.”

“No,” I shot back. “They contacted me. Not you. Not Alex. Me.”

Alex leaned against the counter, eyes sharp. “And that’s exactly why you’re staying put.”

I stood. “You don’t get to decide that.”

Silence fell.

Ryan’s voice cut through it, quieter now. “Mary… listen to me.”

I turned to him.

“I’ve seen this kind of thing before,” he said. “People like Dominic’s enemies? They don’t bluff.”

My chest tightened. “Then we call the police.”

Alex shook his head immediately. “Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because this isn’t random,” he said. “And if we escalate without understanding what we’re dealing with, we make it worse.”

I laughed bitterly. “How is this not already worse?”

The answer came sooner than expected.

The doorbell rang.

Three sharp chimes.

Ryan moved first, positioning himself between me and the door. Alex stepped beside him, calm but lethal in his focus.

“I didn’t order anything,” I whispered.

Alex checked the security screen.

His expression darkened.

“What?” I asked.

“There’s a woman outside.”

Ryan frowned. “Do you recognize her?”

Alex didn’t answer right away.

That hesitation told me everything.

“Alex,” I pressed. “Who is she?”

He exhaled slowly. “She’s connected to Dominic.”

My heart slammed. “How?”

“Romantically,” Ryan muttered.

The word hit like a slap.

Alex corrected him. “Historically.”

Ryan snorted. “Same thing when things go bad.”

The bell rang again.

Longer this time.

I swallowed. “Should we answer?”

Alex studied the screen. “If we don’t, she’ll come back.”

“And if we do?”

His gaze flicked to me. “Then things get complicated.”

Alex opened the door.

She was beautiful in a way that felt intentional sharp cheekbones, dark eyes, red lips curved into a knowing smile.

Her gaze slid past Alex and locked onto me instantly.

Recognition flashed.

Possession.

“Well,” she said smoothly. “So you’re her.”

Every instinct in my body screamed danger.

“I’m not sure who you think I am,” I replied.

She smiled wider. “Oh, I know exactly who you are.”

Ryan stepped forward. “You shouldn’t be here.”

She glanced at him dismissively. “And you must be the brother.”

“Stepbrother,” he corrected sharply.

Her eyes glittered. “Even better.”

Alex’s voice cut in. “Say what you came to say.”

She turned back to me. “I just wanted to see the girl who made Dominic forget his place.”

My throat tightened. “I didn’t make him do anything.”

She laughed softly. “They always say that.”

She stepped closer.

Too close.

“I hope you understand something,” she said quietly. “Men like Dominic don’t fall in love.”

Ryan bristled. “You don’t get to decide that.”

She ignored him. “They conquer. They claim. And when something threatens that…”

Her gaze sharpened on me.

“They eliminate it.”

Alex’s hand touched my shoulder steady, grounding.

“I think you should leave,” he said.

She smiled at him. “Oh, I will.”

Then she leaned in, whispering just for me.

“But he’ll come back for you.”

My pulse roared in my ears.

“And when he does,” she added softly, “people get hurt.”

She straightened, turned, and walked away as if she hadn’t just shattered the fragile illusion of safety around us.

The door closed.

Silence swallowed the room.

Ryan spoke first. “That was a threat.”

Alex nodded grimly. “And a warning.”

I finally found my voice. “She said Dominic would come back.”

Ryan looked at me. “He will.”

Alex’s jaw tightened. “The question is what will he bring with him?”

My phone buzzed.

Dominic.

One word message.

Stay with Alex. Do not leave.

My heart cracked open.

Because deep down, I knew

Dominic wasn’t running.

He was preparing for war.

And I was the reason.

Dominic came back at night.

Not quietly.

Not cautiously.

The kind of arrival that didn’t knock but announced itself with urgency.

Alex was the first to notice. He didn’t say a word, just stiffened where he stood near the window. Ryan followed his gaze, his posture shifting instantly from tense to ready.

And then I felt it.

That pull.

The air changed thicker, heavier like something inevitable had just crossed the threshold of our fragile calm.

The front door opened before anyone reached it.

Dominic stood there.

Blood stained the sleeve of his black shirt.

My heart stopped.

“Dominic,” I breathed.

His eyes found me instantly, scanning me like he needed to confirm I was still breathing. Only after that did his shoulders lower slightly.

“You’re safe,” he said.

It wasn’t a question.

Ryan was already moving. “Whose blood is that?”

Dominic shut the door behind him. “Not mine.”

Alex folded his arms. “You should’ve warned us you were coming.”

Dominic’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t want her tracked.”

Her.

Me.

I stepped forward without thinking. “You’re hurt.”

He looked at my hand reaching for him, then at my face like touching me might be the most dangerous thing in the room.

“I’m fine,” he said.

But he wasn’t.

The blood was still fresh.

We sat him down whether he liked it or not.

Ryan cleaned the wound in silence, his movements efficient but rough, while Alex stood guard near the door.

I hovered uselessly, fear tangling with anger until I couldn’t separate them anymore.

“Why didn’t you answer my calls?” I demanded.

Dominic didn’t look at me. “Because if they were monitoring me, I didn’t want them triangulating you.”

“So you just disappear?” My voice shook. “Do you have any idea what that felt like?”

His jaw flexed.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “That’s why I did it.”

That answer hurt worse than silence.

Ryan broke it. “She came.”

Dominic’s head snapped up. “Who?”

“The woman you never finished dealing with,” Ryan said coldly.

Alex added, “She knows where Mary is.”

The room went deadly still.

Dominic stood.

The chair scraped loudly against the floor.

“What did she say?” he asked.

I swallowed. “She said I was marked.”

Something dark flickered in his eyes rage, guilt, something older and more dangerous.

“She shouldn’t have said that,” he muttered.

Alex’s voice sharpened. “Explain. Now.”

Dominic exhaled slowly. “Her name is Selene.”

The name landed heavy.

“She was part of my life before I disappeared,” he continued. “Before I tried to become… better.”

Ryan scoffed. “That bad, huh?”

Dominic looked at him. “She doesn’t see people as people. She sees leverage.”

My chest tightened. “And me?”

He met my eyes.

“You’re not leverage,” he said. “You’re the target.”

The truth came out in fragments.

Selene wasn’t just an ex.

She was obsession dressed as love.

Control masked as loyalty.

She had helped Dominic once when he was desperate, reckless, dangerous. And when he left that world, he left her without explanation.

She never forgave him.

“She doesn’t want me back,” Dominic said. “She wants me punished.”

Ryan leaned against the counter. “By hurting her.”

Dominic nodded once.

I felt suddenly small. “So what now?”

Dominic stepped toward me and stopped, like an invisible line separated us.

“Now,” he said, “I end this.”

Alex’s voice was sharp. “Not alone.”

Dominic’s eyes flicked to him. “I don’t intend to involve you.”

Ryan laughed without humor. “Too late.”

The plan wasn’t a plan.

It was survival.

We moved locations before dawn.

A place even Selene wouldn’t expect.

As we packed, Dominic stayed close but never touched me.

That hurt more than distance.

In the car, I finally asked the question burning inside me.

“Do you regret meeting me?”

He looked at me like I’d stabbed him.

“No,” he said immediately. “I regret letting her know you exist.”

Tears burned my eyes. “That’s not the same thing.”

He was quiet for a long time.

Then, softly, “If you walk away now, I won’t stop you.”

My chest tightened. “Is that what you want?”

“No,” he said. “It’s what I need to offer.”

I didn’t answer.

Because walking away felt like dying slowly.

The new place was isolated. Quiet. Too quiet.

Night pressed in around us.

Ryan went to secure the perimeter. Alex checked the locks.

Dominic stood by the window.

And then his phone rang.

He didn’t answer immediately.

He looked at me first.

“I have to take this,” he said.

He stepped outside.

Minutes passed.

Too many.

I followed.

I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.

But I heard my name.

And Selene’s voice soft, amused, victorious.

“You should’ve stayed away,” she said through the speaker.

Dominic’s voice was ice. “You’re done.”

She laughed. “No. I’m just beginning.”

Silence.

Then

“I have your sister.”

My world tilted.

Dominic went still.

“What?” he said.

Selene’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“Choose carefully this time.”

The call ended.

Dominic turned slowly.

His face was unreadable.

“What happened?” I asked, dread clawing up my spine.

He looked at me.

And in his eyes, I saw something I hadn’t seen before.

Fear.

“She took your sister,” he said.

And in that moment, I understood

This was no longer about love.

This was war.