Cassian's POVThe antiseptic smell of Nikolai's private clinic clung to the air, sterile and suffocating. I couldn't help but feel the weight of it as I sat in the small, office, waiting for the doctor to finish his report. Nikolai, a man in his late forties with salt-and-pepper hair and a Russian accent, flipped through my chart, his brow furrowed in concentration. His expression was professional, but I could see the strain behind his eyes. This wasn't his first time patching me up, and it definitely wouldn't be the last."You're lucky with your shoulder," he finally said, closing the file and setting it on the desk between us. "The bullet went clean through, missing anything vital. The knife wound in your side, however—that's going to need close monitoring. You'll need to take it easy for a while, but with your stubbornness, I know you'll make a full recovery.""Thanks, Nikolai," I muttered, more out of habit than gratitude. My mind was elsewhere. "What about Aria? How is she?"Nik
Aria's POV"I want to sleep alone tonight," I told him.Cassian didn't argue. He just nodded, that unreadable mask sliding over his face. The one I'd seen more times than I cared to admit. He walked me to the door of my old room, his steps slow. When we reached the door, his hand found mine."Aria, please don't do this," he said, his voice low, full of an urgency that made my chest tighten. "We need to talk. Please, babe. Ask me anything, and I'll tell you. I promise."I took a deep breath, the words I had been holding back for too long finally rising to the surface. "Cassian, I already know you didn’t trust or like Shadow," I said, forcing the words out. "I could tell from the beginning. So why did you want him to stay with me?"His eyes darkened,—regret, maybe?—crossing his face. But he stayed quiet, waiting for me to continue.I pressed on, needing to get the words out before I lost my nerve."I love you, Cassian. I do. You know that," I went on, my voice trembling. "I'd do anythin
Cassian's POVI stared at the glass of whiskey in my hand, the temptation swirling inside the amber liquid like a dark, comforting promise. But after a moment, I shook my head, tipping the glass over the sink, watching as it splashed down the drain. It would've been so easy to drown everything in that glass—the guilt, the regret, the endless spiral of what-ifs—but easy had never been my way.The burn in my side was a constant reminder of how close I'd come to losing everything—my life, my brother, and now, possibly Aria. I gritted my teeth against the pain as I made my way down the hallway to her room. Each step was a struggle, both physically and mentally, but I pushed forward.I stood outside her door for what felt like an eternity, my hand raised to knock but frozen in place. The fear of her rejection was almost paralyzing. Finally, I let my knuckles rap against the wood.Silence.I knocked again, harder this time. "Aria," I called out. "Please."More silence.Fuck this.I twisted
AriaI know what you're thinking. Trust me, I do. But you don't live my life. You don't know what it's like to love a man like Cassian—complicated, dangerous, infuriating—a man who can break me and heal me in the same breath. I love him, and I hate that I love him, because it's never just simple with us. Every touch feels like salvation and damnation rolled into one.It's the way he makes me feel that keeps me tethered. His touch... God, it's not just skin-deep. It's as if he's caressing every scar I've ever tried to hide, touching the parts of me that no one else sees, not even me sometimes. When his hands glide over my skin, it's like he's mapping out my heart, piece by shattered piece. He makes me feel alive, like I'm burning from the inside out. And maybe that's why I'm still here, even when my mind is screaming at me to run.I can't explain it, but when he looks at me, it's like the world stops, and there's only us. He knows exactly how to pull me apart and put me back together a
Cassian's POVThe hot water pounded against my skin, washing away the sweat from my workout but doing nothing for the tension knotting my shoulders. Viktor was awake. The relief I felt was so overwhelming I had to brace myself against the shower wall for a moment.And Aria—Christ, the way she looked at me when she told me. There was something there, beneath the anger. A crack in her armor that gave me hope, even if I didn't deserve it.I turned off the water and stepped out, reaching for a towel when a strange smell hit me. My vision blurred instantly, and alarm bells screamed in my head. Gas. Someone had pumped gas into the bathroom."Aria!" I shouted, lunging for the door. My legs gave out before I could reach it, my body betraying me as consciousness slipped away. The last thought that raced through my mind was her name, a prayer and a curse rolled into one.*****The cold metal chains bite into my wrists, but the pain is nothing compared to the fury boiling inside me. Aria stirs b
Aria's POV"I was beginning to lose my patience," Dom says, his eyes narrowing as he glares at the woman who just entered. She strides in with a confidence that makes my skin crawl, her bright orange hair cascading down her shoulders like liquid fire. The leather mini-skirt she's wearing barely covers anything, and her top—if you could call that scrap of fabric a top—leaves nothing to the imagination. Her breasts strain against the thin material, and I notice Cassian deliberately averting his gaze.Charlie walks directly to Dom and plants a kiss on his lips that's anything but familial. Her tongue visibly slides against his, her hand gripping his hair as she moans into his mouth. My stomach churns at the display."Did I miss anything fun, brother?" Charlie asks when she finally pulls away, a string of saliva still connecting their lips. Her eyes gleam with perverse enjoyment as she catches my horrified expression."Brother?" The word escapes my lips before I can stop it.Charlie's la
Aria's POVI sit rigidly in the basement they let us into—our own basement, turned prison—my heart hammering against my ribcage so violently I fear it might shatter. Across from me sits Cassian. He's tense, every muscle in his body coiled tight like a spring ready to snap, eyes darting between me and Dom, calculating, always calculating.Dom stands between us. "We're going to play a game," he announces. "It's called Anything for Love." He smirks, savoring each syllable. "I want to see just how far the great Cassian Romano will go to protect his precious Aria.""If you touch her—""Ah, ah, ah," Dom interrupts, wagging a finger like he's scolding a child. "No threats, Cassian. Remember who holds the power now." His gaze slides to me, making my skin crawl. "And if you don't comply..." He lets the threat hang in the air, but it's clear—if Cassian doesn't play along, I'm the one who'll suffer.The basement feels smaller suddenly, the air thicker."Cassian," I start, trying to sound brave,
Aria's POVCharlie continues her assault, making obscene noises as she works, and I feel my stomach rolling in nausea. My vision blurs as tears well up, and I choke back a sob. I want to scream, to fight, to do anything to stop this, but I'm helpless, trapped in this nightmare.Cassian's eyes are on me the whole time, as if he's trying to communicate something, some silent message of strength, of endurance. But I can see the pain in his gaze, the torment of being unable to stop what's happening.And then, suddenly. Cassian's hand shoots out out of his restraints, grabbing Charlie's hair in a grip so tight it must be painful.Charlie's eyes widen in shock and fear as his grip tightens. Dom lurches forward with a shout, but he's too late. Cassian has already flung Charlie across the room. She crashes into the wine rack, bottles shattering around her as she falls.Dom moved like a snake, delivering a brutal kick to Cassian's ribs that sends him crashing to the ground. The sound of his bo
Viktor was out of critical care by the next morning. The doctor explained he was stable, though the road to recovery would be long.Dr. Nikolai said, his eyes tired but satisfied. "Try not to exhaust him."Viktor looked small against the hospital sheets. His face brightened when he saw us, though the effort seemed to cost him."There's my favorite lovebirds," he croaked, his voice rough from the breathing tube they'd only recently removed."You look like shit," he told Viktor, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him."Tell me what I don’t know," Viktor attempted a laugh that dissolved into a painful cough.I moved to his bedside, carefully taking his hand in mine. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here.""Don't apologize for protecting yourself, Aria. This life... it takes pieces of you if you're not careful."Cassian shifted uncomfortably beside me. "Save the philosophy for when you're not full of morphine.""The morphine makes me philosophical," Viktor countered weakly. His gaze drifted betwe
"How is he?"Cassian pulled back just enough to look at me, his hands cupping my face as if he needed to assure himself I was real. "Not good. The doctors say..." He swallowed hard. "They're not optimistic."I nodded, blinking back tears. "Can I see him?""He's sleeping now." Cassian's thumb traced the curve of my cheek, his eyes never leaving mine. "Aria, about what happened—""Later," I interrupted gently. "We'll talk about everything later. Right now, I just need..."I didn't finish the sentence, but I didn't have to. Cassian understood. His hand found mine, fingers intertwining as he led me down the corridor, away from Viktor's room and the nursing station."Where are we going?" I asked as he pushed open the door to what looked like a small consultation room.He didn't answer, just pulled me inside and locked the door behind us. The room was furnished with only a small desk and two chairs, a window overlooking the city.Before I could say another word, Cassian's mouth was on mine.
I turned, surprised by the hardness in his tone."I love you more than I've ever loved anything in this life," he continued. "But I can't keep doing this dance. I can't keep watching you run away when things get hard.""Things get hard?" I echoed incredulously. "We were kidnapped, Cassian. Tortured." "And I'm still here," he said fiercely. "Standing right in front of you, asking you to stay and fight for us instead of running away."His words hit their mark. Was that what I was doing? Running away when I should be fighting?"I don't know how to fight this toxicity," I admitted, my voice small.Cassian took a step toward me, careful, like I was a wounded animal that might bolt. "Together," he said simply. "We fight it together."I shook my head, tears flowing freely now. "It's not that simple.""It is," he insisted. "It's the simplest thing in the world, Aria. I love you. You love me. Everything else, we figure out as we go.""And what happens the next time someone comes for us? The n
Cassian's POVWe're walking through the hotel gardens the next day. Aria has been talking non-stop for the past twenty minutes, her voice filling the space between us with stories I've heard a thousand times before. Normally, I'd find it endearing, the way she rambles when she's nervous or trying to distract herself. But tonight, it just highlights how desperately she's trying to pretend everything's normal.Nothing about this is normal. Not the way my skin still crawls with the memory of Charlie's hands on me. Not the hollow ache in my chest when I think about Aria being forced to watch. I listen to her, smiling at the appropriate moments, even though I already know where each story will lead. But I can't maintain the facade. A bitter chuckle escapes me, cutting her off mid-sentence.She turns to me, confusion clouding her features. "What?""Do you ever stop for air?" I ask, trying to divert her attention.She stops walking and crosses her arms over her chest, her expression shiftin
Aria's POVI couldn’t sleep so I sit on the balcony, knees pulled to my chest.I know it wasn't entirely his fault. I know that. But the memory—it replays in endless, torturous loops. Each time it feels like another piece of my heart shatters.I stare out at the city, wondering if love is supposed to feel this way—so heavy and suffocating at times that you're unsure if you can breathe. I love Cassian. My love for him runs deep, twisting through every part of me. He's my other half, my anchor. But with that love always comes something darker. Something I can't shake. A bad omen, hanging over us like a shadow. Could we ever escape it?Could we ever live a normal life?I remember once asking him that very question, if we could ever be normal. His answer was distant, almost resigned, as if the idea of "normal" wasn't in the cards for us. Maybe it never had been.Is this my new normal? Constantly afraid, constantly in danger, watching the man I love be violated while I'm forced to watch?T
Cassian's POV"Keep your hands to yourself. Don’t touch me." she says, her voice flat. "I'm done with you and your fucked up lifestyle."I stand frozen in the middle of the room, blood still warm on my knuckles, watching as she places the gun in my hands. Her fingers are ice against mine. There's something vacant in her eyes—something I've never seen before. Not fear or shock, but something worse: emptiness.The rejection hits harder than any of Dom's blows. My throat constricts, words dying before they form. What the fuck am I supposed to say? That I'm sorry she had to watch Charlie violate me? That I'm sorry I couldn't protect her from seeing that?"Aria—""No." She cuts me off, wrapping her arms around herself. "I need space. I need... not this." Her eyes dart around the basement, on Charlie's body sprawled in a pool of crimson, on Dom's unconscious form. "I can't breathe down here."She turns abruptly, stumbling toward the stairs. I follow, each step sending pain shooting through
Aria's POVCharlie continues her assault, making obscene noises as she works, and I feel my stomach rolling in nausea. My vision blurs as tears well up, and I choke back a sob. I want to scream, to fight, to do anything to stop this, but I'm helpless, trapped in this nightmare.Cassian's eyes are on me the whole time, as if he's trying to communicate something, some silent message of strength, of endurance. But I can see the pain in his gaze, the torment of being unable to stop what's happening.And then, suddenly. Cassian's hand shoots out out of his restraints, grabbing Charlie's hair in a grip so tight it must be painful.Charlie's eyes widen in shock and fear as his grip tightens. Dom lurches forward with a shout, but he's too late. Cassian has already flung Charlie across the room. She crashes into the wine rack, bottles shattering around her as she falls.Dom moved like a snake, delivering a brutal kick to Cassian's ribs that sends him crashing to the ground. The sound of his bo
Aria's POVI sit rigidly in the basement they let us into—our own basement, turned prison—my heart hammering against my ribcage so violently I fear it might shatter. Across from me sits Cassian. He's tense, every muscle in his body coiled tight like a spring ready to snap, eyes darting between me and Dom, calculating, always calculating.Dom stands between us. "We're going to play a game," he announces. "It's called Anything for Love." He smirks, savoring each syllable. "I want to see just how far the great Cassian Romano will go to protect his precious Aria.""If you touch her—""Ah, ah, ah," Dom interrupts, wagging a finger like he's scolding a child. "No threats, Cassian. Remember who holds the power now." His gaze slides to me, making my skin crawl. "And if you don't comply..." He lets the threat hang in the air, but it's clear—if Cassian doesn't play along, I'm the one who'll suffer.The basement feels smaller suddenly, the air thicker."Cassian," I start, trying to sound brave,
Aria's POV"I was beginning to lose my patience," Dom says, his eyes narrowing as he glares at the woman who just entered. She strides in with a confidence that makes my skin crawl, her bright orange hair cascading down her shoulders like liquid fire. The leather mini-skirt she's wearing barely covers anything, and her top—if you could call that scrap of fabric a top—leaves nothing to the imagination. Her breasts strain against the thin material, and I notice Cassian deliberately averting his gaze.Charlie walks directly to Dom and plants a kiss on his lips that's anything but familial. Her tongue visibly slides against his, her hand gripping his hair as she moans into his mouth. My stomach churns at the display."Did I miss anything fun, brother?" Charlie asks when she finally pulls away, a string of saliva still connecting their lips. Her eyes gleam with perverse enjoyment as she catches my horrified expression."Brother?" The word escapes my lips before I can stop it.Charlie's la