The safe house felt smaller by the second.
Aria paced the living room, counting her steps just to ground herself. No phone. No internet. No outside contact. The guards were polite but firm, shadows that reminded her she wasn't free to leave.
Lucien called this protection.
It felt like captivity.
By the third day, frustration burned hotter than fear.
She was folding laundry she hadn't worn when the sound of voices drifted in from the hallway—low, unfamiliar, male. Her pulse spiked.
The door opened.
Lucien stepped inside.
For a split second, she just stared at him.
He looked exhausted. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, his usual composure frayed around the edges. His jacket was gone, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened like he'd torn it off in irritation.
"You didn't tell me you were coming," she said.
"I didn't want it leaked," he replied.
Relief and anger collided inside her.
"You cut off my phone," she snapped. "Do you have any idea what that did to me?"
"Yes," he said quietly. "It kept you alive."
She laughed bitterly. "You don't get to decide that unilaterally."
Lucien closed the door behind him. The room felt charged, heavy with everything they hadn't said over the past days.
"You've been restless," he said.
"I've been imprisoned."
"That's dramatic."
"That's honest."
He studied her, gaze flicking over her face, her posture—checking for harm she didn't see.
"Did anyone contact you?" he asked.
Her stomach tightened.
"No," she lied.
Lucien's eyes sharpened instantly.
"You're a terrible liar," he said.
Aria's chin lifted. "I didn't respond."
That mattered more than she expected.
Lucien exhaled slowly. "Good."
"That's all you have to say?"
"It's all I need."
Anger surged. "You don't get to reduce me to a variable in your risk assessment."
Lucien stepped closer. "And you don't get to decide when my enemies get access to you."
"That's possession," she shot back. "Not protection."
The word hung between them.
Lucien stilled.
"Careful," he said quietly.
"Why?" she challenged. "Because I named it?"
His jaw clenched. "Because you don't understand the difference."
"Then explain it."
"I can't," he said. "Not without putting you in danger."
"I'm already in danger!"
Her voice cracked, raw emotion spilling out despite her efforts to contain it. "Every day I sit here wondering if I'm the woman you're trying to save—or the weakness you're trying to eliminate."
Something dark flickered across his face.
"You're not a weakness," he said immediately.
"Then what am I?"
Lucien hesitated.
That hesitation hurt more than any harsh answer could have.
Later that evening, Lucien insisted on accompanying Aria outside for fresh air.
The city skyline glowed in the distance, unreachable. They walked in silence, tension simmering just beneath the surface.
A man approached from the far end of the courtyard—a security consultant, Lucien explained briefly.
"Mr. Blackwood," the man said, nodding. "We need to discuss perimeter adjustments."
Lucien nodded. "Go ahead."
The man's gaze flicked briefly to Aria—curious, lingering just a second too long.
Something in Lucien's posture changed.
He stepped subtly closer to Aria, placing a hand at the small of her back.
The contact was possessive. Protective. Unmistakable.
Aria stiffened.
The man continued speaking, but Lucien's attention wasn't fully on him anymore.
When the conversation ended, Lucien guided Aria away without explanation.
"You didn't need to do that," she said once they were alone.
"Do what?"
"Mark territory."
Lucien stopped walking.
"That man was assessing you," he said flatly.
"He was doing his job."
"And so was I."
"Your job is to protect me," she said. "Not control who looks at me."
Lucien turned to face her, eyes dark. "You don't see what I see."
"Then tell me."
"They notice details," he said. "Who you speak to. How you react. What makes you hesitate."
"And?"
"And they exploit it."
She crossed her arms. "So what—you plan to scare every man away from me?"
His gaze dropped briefly—to her lips.
The silence stretched.
"I plan to make it clear," he said slowly, "that you are not available."
Her heart skipped. "Not available… to who?"
"To anyone."
The implication sent a tremor through her.
"That's not your decision," she said.
"No," Lucien agreed. "It's mine."
The possessiveness in his voice was undeniable now.
Aria's breath came shallow. "You're crossing a line."
"Yes," he said softly. "And I don't regret it."
That night, everything shattered.
Aria woke to raised voices outside her door.
"…she's being moved," a guard said.
"No," Lucien snapped. "She stays."
"It's a risk—"
"I don't care."
The door opened abruptly.
Lucien stood there, fury barely contained.
"Get dressed," he said. "We're leaving."
"Where?" Aria asked, heart racing.
"Home."
"You said it wasn't safe."
"It's safer than this," he replied. "Someone leaked this location."
Her blood ran cold.
As they hurried through the corridors, Aria's phone—returned to her earlier that evening—buzzed violently in her pocket.
She didn't look.
They were almost at the exit when a voice echoed from behind them.
"Lucien."
He froze.
A woman stepped out of the shadows.
Tall. Elegant. Familiar in a way that made Aria's stomach twist.
"Hello," the woman said, eyes locking onto Aria. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."
Lucien's face drained of color.
"You shouldn't be here," he said.
The woman smiled faintly. "You said that the last time too."
Aria glanced between them. "Who is she?"
The woman answered before Lucien could.
"My name is Evelyn," she said. "I was the woman who believed Lucien Blackwood would protect me."
Lucien's fists clenched.
"And I was wrong."
Aria's heart slammed painfully against her ribs.
"You're supposed to be dead," Lucien said hoarsely.
Evelyn's smile turned sharp. "So you were told."
She stepped closer, gaze never leaving Aria.
"Be careful," Evelyn said softly. "He doesn't lose people by accident."
The guards tensed.
Lucien moved in front of Aria without thinking, blocking her view.
"This ends now," he said.
Evelyn laughed quietly. "Oh, Lucien. It's only just beginning."
Her eyes flicked to Aria one last time.
"Enjoy your protection," she said. "While it lasts."
And then she was gone—disappearing into the shadows before anyone could stop her.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Aria's voice shook. "You lied to me."
Lucien didn't deny it.
"I told you what I could," he said.
"You told me she was dead."
Lucien turned to her, pain and something darker etched into his face.
"She was supposed to be."
Aria stepped back, horror and betrayal colliding inside her.
The truth hit her all at once:
Lucien's past wasn't just haunting him.
It was alive.
And it had just declared war.