Twilight of Lies

The nightmare tore through my consciousness like shattered glass. Blood-soaked walls. Screaming children. Santa Muerte's skeletal form hovering over twin beds.

"They're coming," the death saint whispered.

I jolted awake, my skin glowing with an eerie blue light. The security monitors flickered and died.

"Mommy?" Sofia's voice crackled through the baby monitor. "Luna's crying."

Three explosions rocked the compound. The front gates groaned.

"Stay in your room!" I grabbed my phone, already running. "Lock the door!"

Gunfire erupted below. My hands trembled as death's familiar presence washed over me.

Lieutenant Ramirez's voice crackled over the radio. "Main gate breach! Three vehicles!"

"Status on the backup generator?" Nicolas demanded.

"Non-responsive, sir."

I reached the twins' room as heavy boots thundered up the stairs. Luna and Sofia huddled under their princess beds, eyes wide with terror.

"Come here, mis amores." I pulled them close as the door splintered.

Three men in tactical gear burst in. My power surged. My eyes burned black as midnight.

"What the fu—" The first man's curse cut off as my shield of dark energy materialized. His bullets ricocheted, embedding in the wall.

"Mommy's eyes!" Sofia whimpered.

"Shh, baby." I kept my voice steady as I snapped the first attacker's neck with a thought. "Close your eyes."

The second man charged. I caught his knife hand, using his momentum to drive the blade into his partner's throat. Combat moves I'd never learned in this body flowed through muscle memory.

"Val!" Nicolas appeared in the doorway, gun raised. His eyes widened at the bodies. At my stance.

I recognized the look. He knew that fighting style. Lorenzo Romano's signature technique.

"Nicolas, I—"

An explosion rocked the east wing. Screams echoed across the compound.

"The children," I pleaded. "Get them somewhere safe."

His dark eyes searched mine. "We'll discuss this later."

He scooped up the twins as I cleared the hall. Gunfire erupted in the garden below. Lieutenant Ramirez's men seemed overwhelmed, yet their positions left strategic gaps in our defense.

A familiar black Escalade crashed through the ruined gates.

"Looks like I arrived just in time." Adrian Constantine emerged, adjusting his suit cuffs.

Our eyes met across the chaos. He tapped his wrist. My father's deadline loomed.

My power writhed beneath my skin. Light bulbs exploded in cascading waves. Metal groaned and twisted. Dark mist seeped from my pores as my control slipped.

"Fascinating," Adrian murmured.

I stumbled to my bathroom, overwhelmed. My reflection rippled like dark water. Santa Muerte's skull gazed back.

Blood trickled down the mirror, forming words: "The serpent sleeps beneath your feet."

The attackers began a coordinated retreat. Too coordinated.

I watched Lieutenant Ramirez through the window. His boots were pristine despite the muddy gardens. The backup generator's cables showed clean cuts, not battle damage.

I followed him to his office. My enhanced senses detected lingering traces of a phone call. My father's voice echoed in the residual energy.

"Going somewhere?" I asked as he reached for a hidden gun.

"You're not Valentina." He spat the words. "You never were."

"And you're not loyal." I slammed him against the wall with invisible force. "Who ordered the attack?"

"Lorenzo Romano sends his regards." Ramirez sneered. "Nicolas is weak. Your father offered me three territories to help destroy him."

"My father?" The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Ramirez's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "No... it can't be..."

I tightened my magical grip. "Tell me everything."

Blood trickled from his nose as he laughed. "You're her. Isabella Romano. But how—"

A gunshot echoed. Ramirez slumped, a red hole in his forehead.

Nicolas lowered his weapon, his expression unreadable. "Care to explain?"

Behind him, Adrian watched with calculating eyes. The twins clung to their father's legs, their matching gray and dark eyes filled with questions I couldn't answer.

My time was running out.

"Nicolas, I—" The compound's lights flickered as my power surged. Two hundred days to find love or revenge. I was running out of both.

Santa Muerte's warning burned in my mind: "The serpent sleeps beneath your feet."

But which serpent? And how many bites did I have left to endure before the venom claimed me for good?