Chapter Twenty

We made our way deeper into the woods, the sounds of our pursuers growing fainter.

The trees were dense here, and the moonlight barely filtered through the branches.

It was quiet for a moment. Too quiet.

But my body still hummed with adrenaline.

I kept my eyes on the path ahead, moving swiftly.

Damian’s hand was on my back, guiding me, keeping me safe.

And then, I heard it.

A faint rustling behind us.

I spun around, heart pounding.

But it wasn’t a man in black.

It was another helicopter.

This one was closer. Much closer.

“Damian!” I gasped.

He didn’t hesitate.

“We’re running out of time,” he said grimly. “We need cover. Now!”

We darted to the right, moving toward a small ravine.

It was a tight squeeze, but it would hide us.

We scrambled down the rocky incline, my ankle throbbing with every step.

Damian was right behind me, his face set in hard lines, eyes scanning the sky.

Dad was struggling more than before, his breath coming in sharp bursts.

We reached the bottom of the ravine just as the helicopter soared overhead.

It hovered above us for a moment, casting a shadow that sent a chill through my bones.

I held my breath, praying they hadn’t seen us.

The wind from the blades whipped against the trees, and for a second, everything was chaos.

Then the helicopter moved on.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Damian muttered.

I turned to him, still trembling.

“Then what now?”

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he knelt beside me, checking my ankle.

“We have to keep moving,” he said finally. “We can’t stay here. Not for long.”

I nodded.

“We won’t let them take us,” I said fiercely.

He smiled, though it was more of a grimace.

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

But before we could move, a voice broke through the trees.

“Don’t move.”

I froze.

The voice was too familiar.

I turned slowly, my blood running cold.

Lucian stood at the edge of the ravine, his eyes cold and calculating.

He wasn’t alone.

Several men stood with him, guns aimed at us.

And I knew there was no way out now.

Aria

I didn’t breathe.

I didn’t blink.

I was frozen in place.

Lucian.

His eyes were dark, full of malice, and yet he didn’t move. He just stood there, watching us with a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

I could feel the weight of the guns aimed at us.

The air was thick with tension, each second stretching longer than the last.

Damian was beside me, his jaw clenched.

He wasn’t afraid.

But even I could see the storm behind his eyes.

He was angry. Furious. But he didn’t make a move.

“Damian,” Lucian said, his voice like ice. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

Damian stepped forward, slowly, carefully.

His eyes never left Lucian.

I moved to follow, but Dad’s hand on my arm stopped me.

“Don’t,” he whispered. “Let him handle this.”

It was true.

Damian was their equal.

But my heart raced faster, the fear growing in my chest.

“Lucian,” Damian said, his voice cold and controlled. “What do you want?”

Lucian’s smile deepened.

“I want you to stop running,” he said. “And I want her.”

His gaze shifted to me.

“Her?” Damian’s voice was dangerous now.

“Yes,” Lucian said. “Aria.”

I could feel the anger in Damian’s posture.

His muscles tensed, his fists clenched.

He was ready to strike, to make Lucian pay for everything he had done.

But I was terrified.

This wasn’t just a fight we could win.

This was different.

Lucian took a step closer, his eyes locked on mine.

“You’ve caused me a lot of trouble, Aria. But it ends here.”

I shook my head, backing away instinctively.

“You’ll have to kill me first,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.

Lucian laughed, a low, menacing chuckle that sent a chill down my spine.

“I don’t need to kill you,” he said. “You’re going to come with me. You have no choice.”

Behind me, I heard Dad shift, but I didn’t turn to look at him.

I could feel him there strong, protective. But this was bigger than just us.

“Damian, stay calm,” I whispered.

Damian didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on Lucian.

His jaw was clenched, but he was waiting for the right moment.

He wasn’t going to give in.

Lucian raised his hand, signaling his men.

They started moving, slowly, strategically surrounding us.

They had us cornered.

“Damian, we don’t have to do this,” Lucian said. “You know it’s over. Come with me, and I’ll spare her.”

My stomach twisted.

I knew that was a lie.

Lucian didn’t spare anyone.

Damian took another step forward, his voice low and dangerous.

“I’ll never work for you, Lucian. And I’ll never let you take her.”

Lucian’s eyes hardened.

“We’ll see about that.”

And just like that everything erupted.

Damian moved first, his hand grabbing for the gun at his side.

He fired quickly, one shot after another, forcing Lucian’s men to scatter.

But they were ready.

They were fast.

“Get down!” Damian shouted at me, pushing me to the ground as bullets whizzed past us.

I didn’t hesitate.

I dropped low, crawling toward Dad, who was already moving to cover.

I could hear the crack of gunfire, the echo of it shaking the earth beneath me.

“Stay down!” Damian ordered, his voice commanding.

I had no choice but to obey.

I stayed on the ground, crawling toward the ravine’s edge, trying to stay out of sight.

Damian was a blur of motion, his movements precise and lethal as he fought back against Lucian’s men.

Each bullet he fired was calculated as a testament to how well he knew this game.

But it wasn’t enough.

They kept coming.

I could see Lucian in the distance, watching the chaos unfold.

He wasn’t fighting. He was waiting.

Waiting for the moment when Damian would tire.

That moment was coming.

I felt it.

The air around us thickened, the pressure mounting as the fight dragged on.

I could see Damian’s movements slowing, his body showing signs of wear.

He was hurt, and he was tired.

I had to do something.

I couldn’t just sit there and watch.

I pushed myself up, ignoring the pain in my ankle, and grabbed a fallen gun from one of Lucian’s men.

I didn’t know if I could shoot, but I had to try.

I aimed at one of the closest men and fired.

I missed it.

But the sound of the gunshot distracted him for just a second long enough for Damian to take him down.

“Aria!” Damian yelled. “What are you doing?”

“I’m helping!” I shot back, aiming at another man.

This time, my shot hit.

The man went down, and I felt a brief surge of triumph.

But it didn’t last.

Lucian’s men were closing in, and there were more of them than we had bullets.

Damian was fighting with everything he had, but I could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

He wasn’t invincible.

“Damian!” I screamed.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and desperation.

But there was something else there, too something darker.

“I won’t let them take you,” he said, his voice tight with emotion.

I knew he meant it.

But I also knew he couldn’t keep this up much longer.

Lucian’s men were almost on top of us.

And I knew if we didn’t make a move now, we were done for.

“Damian, we have to run,” I said urgently. “Now!”

He hesitated, eyes darting between me and the men.

But finally, he nodded.

“Run!”

We turned and bolted, making our way toward the thickest part of the forest.

But as we ran, I heard the sharp crack of a gunshot and the pain.