📖 Bound by Fate, Tied by Love
🌹 Chapter 15: Daggers in the Dark
The echo of the ballroom still drifted faintly through the stone walls, violins weaving a melody too sweet for the storm brewing inside the estate. Isabella could not bring herself to rejoin the dancers. The fire's glow in the antechamber had dimmed, leaving more shadow than light, and her thoughts swirled like a tempest.
Adrian remained by the hearth, silent, his posture a fortress. The distance between them stretched into an abyss neither dared to cross.
Finally, Isabella rose from her chair. Her voice was quiet, but it carried the sharp edge of resolve.
"If danger surrounds us, then hiding in shadows will not save me. Teach me to see it, Adrian. Teach me to survive it."
He turned, surprise flickering across his face, quickly masked by a scowl. "No. I will not throw you into a fire that's already devouring me."
Her chin lifted, eyes burning with defiance. "Then you condemn me to burn blind."
The words struck him harder than any blade. His jaw tightened, but before he could reply, the chamber door creaked open.
A servant entered, bowing quickly. His voice was hushed, hurried. "My lord… a disturbance in the garden. The guards request your presence."
Adrian's expression hardened. He shot Isabella a warning glance. "Stay here."
But Isabella's pulse quickened, a mixture of dread and determination. She followed him anyway.
---
The night air bit against her skin as they stepped into the gardens, the once-beautiful space now thick with unease. Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting jagged shadows across the gravel paths. The usual perfume of roses was tainted by something sharper—fear.
Two guards knelt by the fountain, lanterns illuminating shattered glass on the ground. A third body lay slumped against the stone rim.
Adrian strode forward. "Report."
One of the guards lifted his head. "An intruder, my lord. Slipped past the outer gates. We intercepted, but…" He glanced at the unconscious man on the ground. "Not before he struck."
Isabella's stomach twisted. Blood stained the fountain's edge, glistening under the moonlight.
Adrian knelt, turning the figure over. The intruder was cloaked, his face hidden by a mask of dark leather. A dagger slipped from his limp hand, clattering to the stones.
Adrian picked it up, examining the hilt. His jaw tightened. "This crest…"
Isabella leaned closer, her breath catching. The dagger's hilt was etched with a serpent coiled around a crown.
She glanced at Adrian. "You know whose mark this is."
Adrian's eyes met hers, shadows swirling within. "Yes." His voice was low, dangerous. "And if they have sent assassins this close to my home, then no one here is safe."
The words chilled her blood.
Suddenly, the intruder stirred, groaning. His hand twitched, reaching for the empty space where his dagger had been.
Adrian pressed the weapon to the man's throat, his voice ice-cold. "Who sent you?"
The man's eyes fluttered open, defiant even through his pain. He spat blood onto the ground. "The serpent always strikes in silence."
Isabella flinched at the venom in his tone. The guards shifted uneasily.
Adrian's grip on the dagger tightened. "Answer me."
The man only smirked, his teeth red with blood. "The next blade will not miss." Then, before anyone could stop him, he bit down hard. Foam bubbled at his lips, his body convulsing before falling still.
Isabella gasped, covering her mouth. "He—he killed himself."
Adrian cursed under his breath, lowering the dagger with frustration. "Fanatics. Loyal until death." He turned to the guards. "Burn his body. No trace must remain."
Isabella stared at the lifeless man as the guards dragged him away. Her heart pounded, not only from fear but from the weight of realization. This was no longer rumor or warning—this was war at their doorstep.
---
As they returned to the chamber, Isabella's hands trembled. She stopped at the threshold, forcing herself to meet Adrian's gaze.
"This is what you've been hiding from me." Her voice was low, thick with emotion. "Assassins. Blood. Secrets etched into steel."
Adrian's expression softened, but only slightly. "This is why I kept you blind. Because once you see it, you cannot unsee it. Once you step into this shadowed world, there is no way back."
She drew in a shaky breath. "Then it's too late. I've already seen."
The fire crackled behind them, casting flickering light across Adrian's face. His mask of control faltered for a heartbeat, and in that fragile moment, Isabella saw the man beneath—the weight he carried, the loneliness carved into his soul.
Her heart ached for him. But anger still simmered inside her, fueled by fear. "If you truly believe I am your strength, Adrian, then stop shielding me. Stop deciding what truths I can bear. Let me fight beside you."
He stepped closer, his hand brushing against hers, hesitant. "And if fighting beside me costs you your life?"
She met his storm-gray eyes with unwavering resolve. "Then at least I'll die knowing I chose it. Not because I was kept in the dark."
Adrian inhaled sharply, his walls threatening to crumble. For a moment, the firelight reflected in his eyes as though two storms collided.
And then—slowly, deliberately—he nodded. "Very well, Isabella. No more blindfolds. But once I begin, there is no turning back."
A shiver ran down her spine, both of dread and determination. She had asked for truth. Now it would come.
In the silence that followed, the shadows seemed to press closer, as though listening, waiting.
The weight of secrets had cracked the door open. And through it, danger had already stepped inside.