009 | Pressure

Morning came too fast.

Aria was already in the underground training room by 4:55.
Silas arrived two minutes later and said nothing.

He simply pointed at the mat.

Today there was no warm-up.

He came at her harder than the day before.

Faster.
Heavier.
Less patient.

Aria blocked the first strike, but the force still drove her back three steps.
Her boots scraped against the mat.

“You’re still too light,” Silas said.
“Again.”

She came forward.

They moved across the mat in sharp, ugly exchanges.
Silas didn’t give her room to think.
Every time she tried to create distance, he closed it.
Every time she tried to attack, he punished the opening.

Sweat ran into her eyes.
Her arms burned.
Her lungs felt tight.

But the heat in her chest was stronger today.

It rose slower than yesterday, yet deeper.
Like something old was finally stretching after a long sleep.

When Silas aimed a controlled strike at her ribs, Aria twisted and caught his wrist.

For a fraction of a second, her grip was stronger than it should have been.

Silas’s eyes flicked down to her hand, then back to her face.

He didn’t speak.

He simply increased the pressure again.

By the time he finally stepped back, Aria’s legs were shaking.
She stayed on her feet anyway.

Silas tossed her a towel.

“You’re improving,” he said.
“Not enough.
But you’re improving.”

Aria wiped her face.

“How long before it’s enough?”

“That depends on how much you’re willing to stop protecting yourself,” Silas answered.
“Right now you’re still fighting like someone who doesn’t want to get hurt.
That version of you needs to die.”

Aria met his eyes.

“She already did.”

Silas studied her for a moment longer, then nodded once.

“Good.
Keep that thought.
You’ll need it.”

He checked the time.

“Clean up.
Mr. Vale wants you in his study at eight.”

Aria’s stomach tightened slightly.

She nodded and left the training room without another word.

At 8:00 she stood in front of Dominic’s study door and knocked once.

“Enter.”

Dominic was behind his desk again, reviewing documents.
He didn’t look up immediately.

“Sit.”

Aria sat.

Only then did he set the papers aside and focus on her.

“Silas says your body is starting to catch up,” Dominic said.
“He also says there’s something unusual in the way you move.”

Aria kept her expression calm.

“I’ve always been a fast learner.”

Dominic’s mouth twitched slightly.

“That’s not what he meant.”

He leaned back in his chair.

“People from your old life are asking questions.
They’re being careful about it, but not careful enough.
One of them used a name they shouldn’t have.”

Aria’s fingers curled slowly against her thigh.

“Which name?”

Dominic watched her closely.

“Yours.
The old one.
Aria Voss.”

The room felt quieter after he said it.

Aria forced her voice to stay even.

“What are you going to do?”

“Nothing yet,” Dominic replied.
“I want to see how far they’re willing to dig.
And I want to see what you do with the information.”

He opened a drawer, took out a thin envelope, and slid it across the desk.

“This is the current location of the man who has been asking the most questions.
He’s one of the names on your list.”

Aria didn’t reach for the envelope right away.

Dominic continued,

“You will not touch him.
Not yet.
You will only observe.
Silas will take you this afternoon.
You will watch, remember, and return.
Nothing more.”

Aria finally picked up the envelope.

It felt light.
Dangerous.

“And if he notices me?” she asked.

Dominic’s eyes were flat.

“Then you’ll learn a valuable lesson about staying invisible.
Or you’ll create a mess I’m not in the mood to clean.”

He stood up, signaling the conversation was over.

“You’re dismissed.”

Aria rose and walked to the door.

Just as she opened it, Dominic spoke again.

“Aria.”

She looked back.

His voice was quieter this time.

“Whatever version of you died out there by the river…
leave her there.
The girl who lives in this house needs to be someone else entirely.”

Aria held his gaze for a second longer.

Then she nodded once and stepped out, closing the door behind her.

In the hallway, she opened the envelope just enough to see the address and the small photograph inside.

Her fingers tightened around the paper.

She knew the face.

One of the three who had stood over her while she bled.

Alive.
Walking around.
Still breathing her air.

Aria closed the envelope and slipped it into her pocket.

This afternoon she would watch him.

She would learn his routes.
His habits.
His weaknesses.

And she would do it without letting the old rage make her stupid.

The bloodline stirred again in her chest, low and steady.

Like it approved.

Aria walked toward her room, already counting the hours until noon.

The hunt hadn’t started yet.

But the first target had just been placed in front of her.

And this time,
she was the one holding the information.