Ruined 2 Novels & Stories

I clenched my jaw, keeping one eye on Damian who’d curled up into a ball on the rough ground, the shards of glass from the window glimmering in the low light, while simultaneously risking a glance up at the window. Thankfully Rune had disappeared, likely going to find the rope I’d asked for, even if I wasn’t entirely sure whether we’d need it at this point. Concern for Rune was at the forefront of my mind as I kept watch over the male, and it was only exacerbated a few minutes later as she came hesitantly creeping forward from around the front of the house. The moon had overtaken the sun in the sky by this point, and there weren’t any other sources of light on this side of the house, save th

Later, after Gabriel had gone, Damien and I sat together on the back terrace, the evening settling cool and quiet around us, and I leaned into him without either of us needing to say anything about it. “Twenty-two years,” Damien said eventually, “and it’s still finding new people to break.” “It’ll stop,” I said. “Once we finally understand all of it. Once there’s nothing left buried for it to use against anyone else.” “Promise?” he asked, though I could hear he already knew the answer, just needed to hear it again. “Yep” I said, “we’ll make sure of it,” and he pulled me closer, the two of us watching the last light fade over the grounds, steadier in each other than either of us had any right

I was just a young girl who didn't know better… I'm sorry, Jamie. I'm so sorry. I'm not Jamie. His grip tightened on the bottle of whiskey, clenching his hands as they shook. Let's end it here, Anna De la Vegas… you're dead to me. A gut-wrenching groan tore from his throat as he hauled the bottle at the glass. It hit with a heavy thud and dropped to the floor, rolling. His eyes followed it; it was cracked… just like everything else.

The Heart of the Ruins The morning sun pierced the dense canopy above the ancient ruins, its golden rays filtering through gnarled branches to dapple the forest floor. The adventurers huddled around a small campfire, its feeble flames licking at the damp wood they’d scavenged. The air was heavy with the scent of moss and the metallic tang of blood, a grim reminder of the ambush they’d barely survived the night before. Their victory had come at a cost—exhaustion weighed on their limbs, and wounds marred their bodies, some shallow, others deep enough to warrant concern.

The betrayal cut deeper than any physical pain: my best friend and my boyfriend together, laughing at my destruction. Suddenly, the main doors to the ballroom burst open with a violent crash. All eyes turned toward the entrance. Raymond?

“Maybe we’ll find someone left alive... or whatever’s left of them.” Rafe caught my wrist before I moved too far ahead. “You’re shaking.” I met his gaze, eyes burning like the fire behind me. “Then let me shake while I find out who did this.” And with that, I crossed into the ruin, because I’d already lost one life here, and this time, I was ready to take it back. The deeper we rode into Varrick’s territory, the worse it got. The ground was a graveyard. Burnt trees, overturned vehicles, and the stench of blood so thick it turned the air metallic.

The dawn broke like a pale promise, casting weak light over the shattered landscape that stretched before them. The Ruins of Eldara, a sprawling city once the heart of an ancient kingdom, lay hidden beneath layers of ash and forgotten memories. Its towering spires and crumbled walls, swallowed by time and neglect, rose like ghostly sentinels, watching over the land like silent witnesses.

The silence between us was thick enough to fill the cab. The ruins appeared just after midnight, a silhouette of ash and twisted metal rising from the fields. The barn’s frame still stood, ribs of charred wood glinting faintly under the moon. The air smelled of soot and rust. Rubio and Mara followed in a second vehicle, their beams sweeping the debris. “Perimeter looks cold,” Mara’s voice crackled through the radio. “No heat signatures, no motion.” “Keep watch,” I said. “We go in and out fast.”

“I never stopped.” “She might not come back the same.” “Then we protect what’s left.” For once, Riven didn’t argue. They stood together in silence. Not friends. But not enemies either. Just two men standing in the ruin of something they once thought was sacred. And beneath the fortress, in the echo of the scorched vault… a second message appeared. Scrawled in clawed script. Burned straight into the stone. “She is not alone.” I returned through fire. One blink, and I was standing in nothing. The next—light exploded around me.

She glanced down, eyes narrowing, then passed it to Riven without a word. The live feed on the screen showed smoke curling from blackened beams, rain soaking the scorched ground where his cabin used to stand. In the center of the ruins, a lone figure knelt in dark tactical gear, sifting through the wreckage like he was hunting for ghosts. “They went back,” Riven said quietly, the words dragging through his throat. Kael didn’t hesitate. “Truck. Now.”