The Devils Offer

Aria could barely feel her legs. The cold rain soaked through her clothes while terror sat heavily in her chest, making it difficult to breathe properly. The man gripping her arm loosened his hold slightly, but not enough for her to escape.

Not that she could. There were too many of them.

Too many guns. Too much danger wrapped around the man standing in front of her.

Lucien Moretti.

She didn’t know his name yet, but she could already feel the weight of his power. It was in the way everyone around him stayed silent unless spoken to. In the way fear seemed to follow him naturally. And worst of all— In the way he looked at the dead body without emotion. Aria swallowed hard, trying not to stare at the blood spreading across the pavement. “I swear I won’t tell anyone,” she said quickly, her voice shaking. “Please… I just want to go home.” One of the guards laughed quietly. “That’s what they all say.” Her stomach twisted. Lucien’s gaze remained fixed on her face, unreadable and cold. Even under the rain, he looked composed. Untouched. Like chaos bent itself around him instead of affecting him. Then his eyes shifted toward the sketchbook lying in the puddle. “Bring it.” One of the men immediately picked it up and handed it to him carefully. Aria’s heart nearly stopped. No. Please no. Rainwater dripped from the pages as Lucien flipped through the sketchbook silently. Portraits. Hands. Buildings. Strangers on buses. People at cafés. Pieces of her thoughts scattered in charcoal and pencil. Her cheeks burned with humiliation. Drawing had always been the only thing that made her feel alive. The only thing that belonged completely to her. And now this stranger was holding it like evidence. Lucien paused on one particular page. Her breath caught painfully. The sketch of him. Rough lines. Unfinished shadows. But unmistakably him. Those cold eyes. That sharp expression. She had drawn him without thinking. Without understanding why her hand moved so quickly the moment she saw him step from the car. “You’re an artist,” Lucien said finally. It wasn’t a question. Aria nodded slowly. For some reason, that seemed to interest him more than the fact she had witnessed a murder. One of the guards stepped closer. “Boss, we should deal with this now before it becomes a problem.” Deal with this. As if she wasn’t even human.bFear exploded inside her again. “Please,” she whispered desperately. “I won’t say anything. I have a mother at home waiting for me. Please…” Lucien looked at her for another long moment.

Then he closed the sketchbook.b“What’s your name?” The question surprised her. “A-Aria.” “Full name.”

“Aria Collins.”

Silence. Rain continued falling around them while the city remained strangely distant, unaware of the nightmare unfolding inside the alley. Lucien handed the sketchbook back to one of his men before stepping closer. Aria instinctively stepped backward. He noticed. Something unreadable flickered briefly across his face before disappearing instantly. “Do you know who I am?” he asked calmly. She shook her head immediately. One of the guards looked shocked by her answer. But Lucien simply stared at her for another second before speaking again. “That’s probably a good thing.” His voice was low. Smooth. Dangerous in a quiet way.

Aria wrapped her arms tightly around herself, trying to stop trembling. “I just want to go home,” she whispered again. Lucien’s expression hardened slightly. “You can’t.” The words hit her like ice water. “What?”

“The men responsible for tonight’s incident now know your face.” His tone remained calm, almost detached. “Which means your life expectancy outside my protection is significantly shorter than it was an hour ago.” Aria blinked at him in disbelief. Protection? “You’re threatening me.”

“No,” he corrected softly. “I’m explaining reality.” Her chest rose unevenly. “This is insane.”

“It is.”

“You expect me to trust you after I just watched someone get murdered?”

Something dark flashed behind his eyes then. Not anger. Something colder. “You think you witnessed murder tonight?” he asked quietly. “You witnessed restraint.” The air around her seemed to freeze. One of the guards suddenly approached Lucien quickly. “Sir.” Lucien turned slightly. “We found another vehicle circling the block twice.” Immediately, the atmosphere shifted. Tension exploded among the men. Lucien’s face became unreadable again. “How many?” “Unknown.” Aria’s pulse quickened painfully. Lucien looked back at her. Then his gaze slowly dropped toward the trembling hands she was trying desperately to hide. For one strange second, something about his expression changed. Not softer. Just… less empty. “Get her in the car,” he ordered. Panic shot through her instantly. “No—!” She jerked backward violently, but one of the guards grabbed her before she could run. “Let me go!”

“Aria.” The sound of her name in Lucien’s voice stopped her struggling immediately.

Not because it was gentle. Because it wasn’t. It was controlled. Steady. The kind of voice that expected obedience without demanding it loudly.

Lucien stepped closer again until barely a foot separated them. “If the people coming for you find you first,” he said quietly, “they won’t ask questions before putting a bullet in your head.” Fear hollowed out her stomach. She searched his face desperately for signs he was lying. She found none.

“Why are they after me?” she whispered.

“Because you saw something valuable.”

“I didn’t even know what was happening!”

“That won’t matter to them.”

Thunder cracked across the sky. Somewhere nearby, tires screeched sharply. One of the guards cursed under his breath. Lucien’s attention snapped toward the alley entrance instantly. Then— Gunshots. Everything happened at once. Bullets slammed violently into the brick wall beside them. Aria screamed. The guards immediately pulled their weapons while Lucien grabbed her arm hard enough to pull her against his chest. “Move!” More gunshots exploded through the alley. Glass shattered nearby. Aria’s ears rang violently as Lucien pushed her behind the SUV.

Her entire body shook uncontrollably.

“Oh my God—”

“Stay down,” Lucien ordered sharply.

One of his men fired back toward the alley entrance while another opened the car door quickly.

“Sir, we need to leave now!”

Lucien glanced down at Aria. Rain clung to her lashes while panic flooded her wide eyes. For the first time in years, something dangerously unfamiliar tightened in his chest. Because she looked terrified. Not manipulative. Not greedy. Not calculating. Just terrified. And somehow that made this infinitely more complicated. Another bullet struck the SUV. Lucien grabbed her wrist instantly. “Get in the car, Aria.” This time….She didn’t resist.