Chapter Eighteen

“Damian,” I said, my voice shaking. “You’re hurt.”

He shook his head. “I’m fine.”

But he wasn’t. I could see the blood soaking his shirt.

I grabbed a cloth from the floor and pressed it against his wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

“You’re an idiot,” I muttered, blinking back tears. “A big, stupid, stubborn idiot.”

He gave a weak chuckle.

“Take one to know one.”

For a second, we just looked at each other.

No words.

No lies.

Just the truth.

I still didn’t know if I could trust him fully.

I still didn’t know if love was enough to fix everything he’d broken.

But in that moment, all I knew was this

I wasn’t ready to give up on him yet.

Not yet.

We drove for what felt like hours, putting as much distance as we could between us and Lucian’s men. The road stretched out ahead, endless and empty.

Finally, Damian pulled over to an abandoned cabin tucked deep into the woods.

“We’ll hide here for now,” he said.

The cabin was old, falling apart at the edges, but it would do.

It had to.

Inside, it smelled like dust and mold. The windows were cracked, and the floor creaked with every step.

Damian collapsed onto a broken couch, his face pale.

I knelt in front of him, carefully lifting his bloody shirt. The wound in his shoulder was bad. Too deep.

“We need to get you to a hospital,” I said.

He shook his head.

“Can’t risk it. They’ll find us.”

I bit my lip, panic rising again.

“Then what do we do? You’ll die if we don’t do something!”

He smiled weakly. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy, sunshine.”

I scrambled through the cabinets, searching for anything—anything—that could help.

Finally, I found an old first aid kit, half-empty but better than nothing.

“Hold still,” I ordered, grabbing a bottle of alcohol.

Damian didn’t even flinch as I cleaned the wound, even when I knew it must’ve hurt like hell.

“You’re crazy,” I muttered under my breath.

“Maybe,” he said. “But I’d rather be crazy with you than sane without you.”

I paused, meeting his eyes.

“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

“I mean every word,” he said softly. “I love you, Aria. I’ll never stop fighting for you. Never.”

I pressed the cloth harder against his wound, blinking back the tears that threatened again.

“Then fight harder,” I whispered. “Because I’m not ready to lose you.”

He smiled a real smile this time.

“You’re stronger than you think, you know that?”

I shook my head, laughing bitterly.

“I’m a mess.”

“Maybe,” he said. “But you’re my mess.”

For a moment, everything else faded.

No gunmen.

No Lucian.

No fear.

Just us.

Damian leaned forward, brushing his lips lightly against mine.

The kiss was soft and careful, but it still sent shivers through me.

I kissed him back, pouring everything I had into it. All the fear, the love, the hope.

Because even if the world was burning around us, I knew one thing—

I wanted him.

I chose him.

But just as the kiss deepened, the sound of a car engine rumbled outside the cabin.

We broke apart, both of us frozen.

Damian grabbed his gun, wincing from the pain but steady as ever.

I grabbed a knife from the counter, my hand shaking.

The door rattled.

Voices shouted outside.

“They found us,” Damian said grimly.

“We fight,” I said, standing beside him.

The door burst open

And I gasped in shock at the person standing there.

It wasn’t Lucian.

It wasn’t his men.

It was someone I never thought I’d see again.

Someone I thought was dead.

Aria

I blinked, my whole body frozen.

Standing in the broken doorway was the last person I expected.

“Dad?” I whispered.

He looked... older. Thinner. His face was worn, lined with worry and pain. But it was him. My father.

Tears flooded my eyes, and I stumbled forward, dropping the knife without thinking.

“Dad!” I sobbed, throwing my arms around him.

He caught me, holding me tight, just like he used to when I was little and scared.

“My baby girl,” he choked out. “I thought I lost you.”

I buried my face in his chest, breathing him in. He still smelled like home. Like old paper and coffee.

For a minute, nothing else mattered.

Damian lowered his gun slowly, his eyes dark and guarded.

“How?” I managed to whisper. “How are you here?”

Dad pulled back, cupping my face in his rough hands.

“It’s a long story, sweetheart. But the short version? I escaped.”

I shook my head, confused.

“You escaped Lucian?”

He nodded grimly.

“He thought he had me locked down tight. But he made a mistake. I waited for my chance and ran.”

Damian stepped closer, his body tense.

“Did anyone follow you?” he asked sharply.

Dad hesitated. His eyes flicked to the dark forest outside.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “But it’s hard to be sure.”

Damian cursed under his breath.

“We need to move,” he said. “Now.”

But I couldn’t move. I was still clinging to my father like he might vanish again if I let go.

I’d dreamed about this moment. I hope so.

And now that it was here, it didn’t feel real.

“Aria,” Damian said, his voice softer now. “I know this is hard. But we have to stay alive to keep him safe.”

I nodded, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.

“Okay. Okay, let’s go.”

We scrambled around the cabin, gathering the little supplies we had. Damian checked his gun and reloaded it quickly.

Dad found an old crowbar and gripped it tightly like he was ready to swing it at the first threat.

“We’ll head west,” Damian said, pulling out a crumpled map. “There’s a safe house about two hours from here.”

“Lead the way,” Dad said, glancing around nervously.

The night air was cold when we stepped outside.

The forest was too quiet.

It made my skin crawl.

We moved fast, sticking close together. Every snap of a twig made me jump.

Damian stayed in front, his body a wall between us and whatever danger might come.

For the first hour, we didn’t see anyone.

No headlights.

No footsteps.

Nothing but trees and darkness.

It almost felt safe.

Almost.

Then a shot rang out.

I screamed as the bullet whizzed past my ear, slamming into a tree.

“Run!” Damian barked.

We took off, crashing through the underbrush.

More gunfire followed us, wild and furious.

“They found us!” Dad planted beside me.

“No kidding!” I shouted back.

Damian veered left, leading us deeper into the woods.

Shots kept coming, closer now. Too close.

Suddenly, I stumbled, my foot catching on a root.

I cried out as I hit the ground hard, my ankle twisting painfully.

Damian was back at my side in a heartbeat.

“Get up, sunshine,” he said urgently, grabbing my arm.

“I can’t my ankle” I gasped.

Without a word, he scooped me into his arms, cradling me against his chest like I weighed nothing.

“Hang on,” he said, his voice rough.

He took off running again, carrying me like I was the most important thing in the world.

Bullets ripped through the trees around us, but somehow, none of them hit.

Dad was right behind us, swinging his crowbar wildly at anyone who got too close.

He looked insane but it was working.

Finally, we stumbled into a clearing.

And there like some kind of miracle was a small, battered helicopter, blades spinning.

A man in a black uniform waved at us.

“Come on!” he shouted. “Let’s go!”

Damian didn’t even slow down. He sprinted for the chopper, tossing me inside first.

Dad scrambled in after me, panting heavily.

Damian jumped in last, slamming the door shut just as a bullet hit the side of the helicopter with a loud clang.

“Go, go, go!” he shouted at the pilot.

The helicopter lifted off the ground, rising shakily into the night sky.

I collapsed against the seat, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might explode.

We were alive.

We made it.

I turned to my dad, laughing through my tears.

“I can’t believe you’re here. I thought I’d never see you again.”

He smiled sadly.

“I never stopped fighting to get back to you.”

Damian was quiet, staring out the window.

Blood was soaking through the bandage on his shoulder again.

“You need help,” I said, reaching for him.

“I’m fine,” he muttered.

“You’re not fine,” I snapped. “You’re bleeding everywhere, you stubborn idiot.”

He smiled at that.

“That’s my girl.”

I grabbed a clean cloth and pressed it gently to his shoulder.

He winced but didn’t pull away.

The helicopter rocked suddenly, making my stomach lurch.

“What’s happening?” I asked, panic rising again.

The pilot cursed under his breath.

“We’ve got company!” he shouted.

I looked out the window and my blood ran cold.

Another helicopter was following us.

Sleek. Black.

Lucian’s men.

“They’re not giving up,” Dad said grimly.

Damian tightened his grip on the seat.

“Neither are we.”

The enemy chopper moved closer.

Too close.

Gunfire exploded in the air, bullets slicing through the night.

The pilot swerved hard, trying to dodge, but the helicopter shook violently.

“Hold on!” he screamed.

The world spun around me.

I clutched the seat with both hands, heart in my throat.

The enemy helicopter pulled alongside us.

I could see the men inside, guns raised, faces twisted with rage.

We were sitting ducks.

And then

With a horrible, screeching sound

Their helicopter slammed into ours.

Metal crunched.

Glass shattered.

We spiraled out of control, falling from the sky.

I screamed Damian’s name

And everything went black.