Chapter 34

Chapter 34

“…don’t… let them… take me…”

The words barely existed.

A breath more than a sentence.

But they hit Damon like a knife.

Because Luca wasn’t looking at him the way he had before.

Not steady.

Not grounded.

His eyes were wide too wide tracking something that wasn’t in the room.

Something Damon couldn’t see.

Fear.

Real, instinctive fear.

Not of pain.

Not of death.

Of being taken.

Again.

Damon tightened his grip on Luca’s hand instantly.

“No one’s taking you anywhere,” he said, voice low and firm. “You’re safe.”

Luca’s gaze snapped to him.

Searching.

Desperate.

Like he needed to believe that but didn’t know how.

“Luca,” Damon said again, softer this time. “Look at me.”

It took effort.

Visible effort.

But Luca’s eyes slowly locked onto his.

Held.

For a second.

Two.

Three.

And for that brief moment

The fear eased.

Not gone.

But quieter.

Less consuming.

Seraphine stepped closer, watching carefully.

“His system’s stabilizing neurologically,” she said under her breath. “But he’s disoriented. The stimulant… it can cause cognitive fragmentation.”

Damon didn’t look away from Luca.

“What does that mean in normal language?”

“It means his brain is trying to catch up with his body,” she said. “And it’s pulling from memory to do it.”

Damon’s stomach dropped.

Memory.

Of course.

Luca’s breathing hitched again.

His grip tightened painfully.

“Don’t” he started, voice raw, broken.

Damon leaned closer immediately.

“I’m right here.”

Luca shook his head weakly.

“No… no, they”

His eyes flicked past Damon again.

Tracking something invisible.

Something real to him.

Damon felt a cold, creeping dread settle into his chest.

“He thinks he’s somewhere else,” he said quietly.

Seraphine nodded once.

“Partially.”

Damon swallowed.

“And we fix that how?”

“We don’t force it,” she said. “We guide him back.”

Damon tightened his grip slightly.

Grounding.

Anchoring.

“Hey,” he said softly. “You’re not there anymore.”

Luca’s brow furrowed.

Confused.

Struggling.

Damon kept going.

“You’re in the hospital. You’re safe. I’m here.”

The words felt fragile.

Too simple.

Too small for what Luca had lived through.

But he said them anyway.

Because they were true.

And truth mattered.

Even now.

Especially now.

Luca’s breathing slowed slightly.

Not steady.

But less frantic.

His eyes drifted back to Damon.

Focused.

Trying.

“…Damon?” he whispered.

Relief hit again.

Quieter this time.

But deeper.

“Yeah.”

Luca blinked slowly.

Like the world was still out of focus.

Then

“…you got hit…”

Damon almost laughed.

Of all the things to hold onto

“That was you,” he said gently.

Luca frowned faintly.

Processing.

Slow.

But happening.

Damon watched it.

Felt it.

That fragile climb back into himself.

“You’re okay,” Damon added. “You’re still here.”

Luca stared at him.

Then, barely

“…thought I wasn’t.”

Damon’s chest tightened painfully.

“Not allowed.”

Luca’s lips twitched faintly.

Not quite a smile.

But close.

Closer than anything since this started.

Seraphine exhaled quietly beside them.

“He’s coming back.”

Damon didn’t respond.

He didn’t need to.

He could feel it.

See it.

Right there in Luca’s eyes.

Still not fully steady.

Still not fully safe.

But present.

Aware.

Here.

And then

It shifted.

Again.

Not violently.

Not suddenly.

But enough.

Luca’s gaze darkened slightly.

Focused more sharply now.

Less confusion.

More awareness.

And with that awareness

Came memory.

Damon saw it hit.

Like a wave.

Heavy.

Unavoidable.

Luca’s grip on his hand tightened.

Not in fear this time.

In tension.

His jaw clenched slightly.

Damon’s pulse slowed.

Careful now.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “Easy.”

Luca didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes searched Damon’s face.

Like he was looking for something specific.

Something important.

Then

“…you shot him.”

Damon stilled.

There it was.

The memory.

The truth.

He didn’t look away.

“Yes.”

Luca held his gaze.

Long.

Silent.

Heavy.

Damon didn’t fill the space.

Didn’t justify it.

Didn’t explain.

He just let it sit there.

Because Luca deserved the truth without decoration.

Luca’s expression shifted slightly.

Something unreadable passing through it.

Then

“…good.”

The word was quiet.

Rough.

But certain.

Damon exhaled slowly.

Some tension he hadn’t even realized he was holding loosened in his chest.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “I thought so too.”

Luca’s grip eased slightly.

Not fully relaxed.

But less tight.

Less strained.

Then his gaze flicked briefly around the room.

Taking in the machines.

The lights.

The unfamiliar space.

Grounding himself.

Piece by piece.

Seraphine stepped forward again.

“How much do you remember?” she asked.

Luca’s eyes moved to her.

Studied her.

Focused.

Clearer now.

“Enough,” he said.

His voice was still weak.

Still rough.

But steady.

Controlled.

Seraphine nodded.

“That’s a good sign.”

Luca didn’t look convinced.

Neither did Damon.

Because memory wasn’t always a good thing.

Not for someone like Luca.

Not when so much of it hurt.

Damon leaned closer again.

“You don’t have to figure everything out right now.”

Luca looked at him.

Something softer flickering briefly behind the tension.

Then

“…you stayed.”

Damon frowned slightly.

“Of course I did.”

Luca held his gaze.

Like that answer meant more than Damon realized.

Like it settled something deeper.

Then his eyes closed briefly.

Not unconscious.

Just… resting.

Damon’s hand tightened slightly.

“Stay with me.”

Luca’s eyes opened again.

Immediately.

“I am.”

The words were quiet.

But firm.

And Damon believed him.

The room settled again.

Not silent.

Not safe.

But stable.

For now.

The monitors still beeped.

The IV still ran.

But the crisis had passed.

At least for the moment.

Seraphine checked the readings again.

Then nodded once.

“He’s holding.”

Damon exhaled slowly.

“Finally.”

She glanced at him.

“This isn’t over.”

“I know.”

And he did.

But right now

This was enough.

Luca was alive.

Awake.

Here.

That was enough.

For now.

Minutes passed.

Quieter this time.

Less urgency.

More weight.

Luca didn’t speak much.

Didn’t move much.

But he stayed present.

Stayed aware.

Stayed with Damon.

And that mattered more than anything.

Damon didn’t leave.

Didn’t step away.

Didn’t even sit.

He just stayed.

Exactly where he said he would.

At some point, Luca spoke again.

Low.

Measured.

“…Matteo?”

Damon’s jaw tightened slightly.

“Alive.”

Luca’s eyes sharpened.

“Where?”

“Not here,” Damon said. “And not getting away this time.”

Luca studied him.

Like he was measuring the truth of that.

Then nodded once.

Satisfied.

Or at least

Accepting.

“…good.”

Silence again.

Then

“…the drive?”

Damon hesitated.

Just for a second.

Then

“I have it.”

Luca’s expression didn’t change much.

But Damon saw the shift.

The understanding.

The weight of what that meant.

“Then it’s not over,” Luca said quietly.

Damon shook his head.

“No.”

And suddenly the room felt smaller.

Heavier.

Because this

This wasn’t the end.

It was the pause before something bigger.

Something worse.

Something that would demand more from both of them than anything that had come before.

Luca exhaled slowly.

Eyes drifting closed again.

Not unconscious.

Just thinking.

Or maybe

Bracing.

Damon watched him carefully.

“You should rest.”

Luca’s eyes opened again almost immediately.

“No.”

Damon frowned.

“You just almost died.”

“And I’ll do it again if we’re not careful,” Luca said bluntly.

Damon didn’t argue.

Because he knew that was true.

And Luca knew it too.

That was the problem.

That was always the problem.

They didn’t get peace.

They got moments.

Brief.

Fragile.

And then the world came back.

Demanding.

Dangerous.

Unfinished.

Damon squeezed his hand slightly.

“We’ll handle it.”

Luca looked at him.

Long.

Steady.

Then said quietly:

“Together?”

Damon didn’t hesitate.

“Yes.”

Something in Luca’s expression softened again.

Not fully.

Not completely.

But enough.

Enough to matter.

And then

A knock.

Sharp.

Unexpected.

The room stilled instantly.

Seraphine’s head turned toward the door.

Damon’s grip on Luca tightened slightly.

Instinct.

Warning.

Something felt wrong.

The door opened slowly.

A man stepped in.

Suit.

Composed.

Too composed.

Not medical staff.

Not security.

Something else.

Something controlled.

His gaze moved around the room.

Taking everything in.

Then landed on Damon.

And held.

A small, polite smile touched his lips.

Professional.

Cold.

“Mr. Moreau,” he said smoothly.

Damon didn’t recognize him.

Which meant

He was dangerous.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the man continued. “But we need to talk.”

Damon’s entire body went still.

Because something in that tone

That calm

That certainty

Felt very familiar.

Too familiar.

Like Matteo.

Like control.

Like power that didn’t ask.

It took.

Damon’s voice turned cold.

“About what?”

The man’s smile didn’t change.

But his eyes did.

Sharpened.

Focused.

Dangerous.

“About what you’re carrying.”

Damon’s pulse dropped.

The drive.

Of course.

Of course it wasn’t over.

It was never going to be that simple.

Luca’s hand tightened in his.

Weak.

But immediate.

A warning.

Damon didn’t look at him.

Didn’t break eye contact with the man.

“Who are you?”

The man stepped further into the room.

Calm.

Unhurried.

Like he already belonged there.

“You can t

hink of me,” he said, “as someone who ensures problems don’t spread.”

Damon’s stomach turned.

Not relief.

Not help.

Control.

Again.

Always control.

And this time

It was bigger than Matteo.

The man reached into his jacket slowly

And pulled out a badge.

Not police.

Not military.

Something else.

Something worse.

Then he said quietly:

“You’re in possession of material that could destabilize entire governments.”