Chapter Seventeen

Aria

Damian’s gun didn’t waver. His whole body was tense, ready to pull the trigger if Lucian so much as breathed wrong.

Lucian, for the first time, actually looked rattled. His hand hovered in the air, unsure whether to reach for his weapon or pretend he was harmless.

“You’re making a mistake, Damian,” Lucian said smoothly, but there was a crack in his voice, a ripple of fear that he couldn’t hide. “You don’t want a war with me.”

“You declared war the second you touched her,” Damian snapped back. His arm flexed, steady, and ready to fire. “One more move, and I won’t miss.”

I stumbled backward, clutching my arm where Lucian had grabbed me. My heart was hammering against my ribs, and my knees threatened to give out, but I forced myself to stay standing.

I didn’t want to be weak. Not now.

Lucian’s eyes darted between us, calculating. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You think you can save her? You think she’s going to thank you after she learns the truth?”

My stomach twisted.

“What truth?” I asked hoarsely, stepping closer to Damian.

Lucian’s grin widened.

“He hasn’t told you, has he?” he sneered. “He’s not your savior. He’s the reason your father was taken in the first place.”

I blinked, confused.

“What are you talking about?” I whispered.

“Don’t listen to him, Aria,” Damian said quickly, his voice low, warning.

But it was too late. Lucian had already planted the seed. I could feel it growing inside me, ugly and poisonous.

“What does he mean, Damian?” I pressed, turning to him. “Is it true?”

Damian’s jaw tightened. His hand never left the gun, but for a split second, his eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite name—guilt.

Lucian chuckled darkly. “Oh, he’s not denying it, is he?”

“Enough!” Damian barked. “Back away, Lucian. Now.”

Lucian lifted his hands in mock surrender, but his smirk didn’t fade. “I’ll go,” he said. “For now. But you’ll see the truth soon enough.”

He started backing away, steps slow and deliberate, like he wasn’t scared at all. Like he still held the upper hand.

Damian kept the gun trained on him until Lucian disappeared into the shadows of the trees. Only then did he lower it slightly, his chest rising and falling heavily with every breath.

I turned to him, heart pounding, head spinning.

“Tell me,” I said, my voice shaking. “Tell me what he meant.”

Damian’s face was grim. “Not here. We have to move.”

“No,” I said, stepping in front of him, and blocking his way. “No more running. No more lies. I need the truth, Damian. Now.”

He ran a hand through his hair, a rare sign of frustration breaking through his controlled exterior.

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” he said quietly. “I swear it, Aria. But... your father got caught in the crossfire because of me.”

The world tilted under my feet.

“Crossfire?” I echoed. “What do you mean?”

He sighed, looking away for a second before meeting my gaze again.

“I’ve been fighting Lucian for years,” he said. “Business, territory, everything. He’s been trying to destroy me, and anyone close to me. Your father… he was a way to get to me.”

My mouth went dry.

“So you’re saying… My dad was kidnapped because of you?”

Damian flinched as I’d hit him. “Lucian would’ve found another way if it hadn’t been your father. He doesn’t care who he hurts.”

Tears burned my eyes.

“But it was my dad,” I said, my voice cracking. “It was my family.”

“I know,” Damian whispered. “And I’ll make it right. I swear it, Aria. I’ll fix this.”

I shook my head, tears spilling down my cheeks. I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to believe him more than anything. But a part of me was screaming that I couldn’t trust him.

“How do I even know you’re telling the truth?” I whispered. “Maybe you’re just using me too.”

Damian stepped forward, his hand reaching out to touch me, but I flinched away. His eyes filled with something raw, something real pain.

“I love you, Aria,” he said simply. “I didn’t plan it. I didn’t expect it. But I do. And I will spend every day proving it to you if you let me.”

I stared at him, heart thudding painfully against my ribs.

Love.

He said he loved me.

But was love enough?

Before I could respond, another loud crack split the air. Damian spun around, gun up again in an instant.

From the shadows, figures emerged. Five. No six men, all armed, all moving toward us like wolves closing in on prey.

Lucian wasn’t finished with us. Not even close.

“Stay behind me,” Damian barked, shoving me gently backward.

“No!” I cried, grabbing his arm. “You can’t take them all!”

His lips pressed into a hard line.

“Watch me,” he said grimly.

The men were closing in fast now, weapons raised. Damian fired first, hitting the leader square in the chest. Chaos erupted. Gunfire filled the air, bullets slicing through branches, dirt flying everywhere.

I dropped to the ground, covering my head, heart hammering so loud I could barely hear anything else. I wanted to help, to fight, but I was frozen, trapped by fear.

I peeked up just in time to see Damian take a hit in the shoulder. He stumbled but didn’t fall. He kept shooting, protecting me, even as blood bloomed across his shirt.

“Damian!” I screamed.

But he didn’t stop. He was a machine, fierce and relentless.

And still, there were too many of them.

Another shot rang out—and this time, it wasn’t aimed at Damian. It was aimed at me.

I barely had time to register the flash of the gun before someone tackled me from the side, sending me sprawling into the dirt.

The world spun.

When I opened my eyes, everything was upside down. Damian was fighting two men at once, blood dripping from his arm. More footsteps thundered closer.

Lucian stepped out of the shadows, a cruel smile on his face.

“You didn’t think you could win, did you?” he said, lifting his gun—aimed straight at Damian’s head.

“No!” I screamed, scrambling to my feet.

But I was too far away.

And Damian… Damian wasn’t fast enough this time.

Aria

“Damian!”

I screamed his name so loud it hurt my throat, but he didn’t even flinch. His whole body was tense, staring down the barrel of Lucian’s gun.

Everything slowed.

The wind stopped.

The trees stood still.

The only thing moving was the fear crashing over me like a storm.

“No!” I cried again, stumbling forward. I didn’t think so. I didn’t plan. I just moved.

Lucian’s finger twitched on the trigger.

I launched myself at him.

He saw me coming too late.

I slammed into his side with all the force I had, knocking him off balance. His gun went off, but the shot missed, flying wild into the trees.

Damian didn’t waste a second. He punched one of the thugs trying to grab him, then spun around and tackled Lucian to the ground.

I stumbled back, breathing hard, watching in shock as Damian pinned Lucian down, his fists raining blow after blow.

“You think you can take everything from me?” Damian growled, punching Lucian across the jaw.

“You think you can touch her and live?”

Lucian spits blood, laughing even as Damian hits him again.

“You’re just like me, Damian,” he hissed. “You’ll never save her. You’ll destroy her.”

Damian froze for a split second, his chest heaving.

I rushed to his side, grabbing his arm.

“Damian, don’t,” I whispered. “You’re not like him. Please.”

For a heartbeat, he didn’t move.

Then he dropped Lucian with a final shove and stood up, pulling me into his arms.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered against my hair. “I’m so sorry, Aria.”

I clung to him, shaking all over. I didn’t care about the blood staining my clothes. I didn’t care about the danger still lurking around us.

All I cared about was him.

Alive.

Still fighting for me.

But the danger wasn’t over.

Not even close.

The other men, the ones Lucian brought, were regrouping. I saw them moving through the trees and saw the glint of more weapons.

“We have to go,” Damian said, pulling me along. His arm was bleeding badly, but he didn’t even look at it. “Now.”

We stumbled through the woods, branches whipping against our faces, the sound of angry shouts following us.

My lungs burned. My legs felt like they would collapse. But I didn’t let go of his hand. Not once.

Finally, we burst out onto an old dirt road.

And there like a gift from heaven was a black SUV, engine still running.

Damian cursed under his breath.

“They were planning to take us in.”

He yanked open the driver’s door, shoved me inside, and jumped in after me.

The tires squealed as he slammed his foot on the gas.

We rocketed down the road, trees flying past in a blur.

I looked back once and saw Lucian and his men chasing after us, but they were too far now. Too slow.

We were free.

For now.