The night outside stretched black and endless, but inside the apartment, the tension was suffocating. Leo slept in the small bedroom, exhausted from a day full of tears and weak smiles, oblivious to the weight pressing down on the adults in his life.
I leaned against the kitchen counter, my hands wrapped tightly around a mug of lukewarm tea I hadn't even touched. Damien's presence was like a gravitational pull, constant and unyielding, filling every corner of the room with a quiet intensity that made it impossible to breathe freely.
"You're tense," he said, his voice low, calm yet commanding, as he stepped closer. I hadn't realized he was standing just behind me until I felt his shadow fall over the counter.
"I'm not," I lied, the words hollow even to my own ears.
He didn't move away. Instead, he leaned slightly closer, enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. "Lia," he said, deliberately drawing out my name like a warning, "I know you've been carrying a burden for five years. But hiding it from me isn't helping anyone—not you, not Leo."
I closed my eyes, letting out a shaky breath. "I didn't have a choice. I didn't… I couldn't risk you getting involved. You're—" I stopped. The words caught in my throat. Powerful. Dangerous. Unpredictable. All the things I loved about him, all the things I feared, all at once.
"I'm dangerous," he finished for me, his lips curving into a faint smirk. "I've been dangerous for a long time, Lia. But the one thing I've never been is unprepared. And right now… I'm prepared for them."
I glanced at him, searching his expression. "Prepared for who?"
Damien's eyes darkened. "For the people who've been following you. The ones who wanted you gone. The ones who never stopped watching."
A chill ran down my spine. Even after five years, I had felt safe in the shadows, believing that running far enough would keep us out of reach. But now, hearing Damien say it out loud, I realized how naive I had been. They had never stopped. And now, with Damien here, I feared they would act sooner.
"They know I'm here," I whispered, almost to myself. "I can feel it."
He tilted his head slightly, studying me, and I felt exposed under his gaze. "You feel it. That's not enough. I need names. Faces. Anything you know."
I shook my head. "I don't. Not yet. If I give you too much too soon, they'll know we're aware. And then… they'll come."
Damien exhaled slowly, the sound deliberate. "Fine. We'll move cautiously. But understand this, Lia—no one touches him. And no one touches you."
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to trust him fully, but the fear of the unknown made my chest tighten. "You don't understand," I whispered. "They're… persistent. Smart. They won't stop until—"
"Until they're stopped," he interrupted sharply, his voice low, dangerous. "They will stop. That's my job."
I looked at him, studying the sharp lines of his face, the intensity in his eyes, the promise that no harm would come to Leo while he was around. And for a moment, I allowed myself to hope.
But hope was a fragile thing.
The first knock at the door shattered the fragile calm like glass. My heart jumped, and instinctively, I moved toward Leo's room. Damien, however, was faster. He was at the door in two long strides, placing a hand firmly against the wood before I could even reach it.
"Who is it?" he called, his voice controlled but carrying an unmistakable edge.
"Delivery!" a voice called from outside, young, unsure. "Package for—uh, Damien Hale?"
He didn't answer immediately. His hand tightened slightly on the door. I could see it even in the dim light: every muscle in his body coiled, ready to strike.
Finally, he spoke. "Leave it there. Step back."
The delivery person hesitated, then placed the small box on the doorstep and retreated. Damien opened the door just enough to snatch it up without exposing himself. Then, with a precision that made my chest ache with fear and desire simultaneously, he closed the door and locked it behind him.
He set the package on the counter, glancing at me briefly. "Check it," he ordered.
I hesitated, feeling the weight of his scrutiny, and then, hands trembling slightly, I opened the box. Inside, neatly folded, was a single black envelope. No markings, no stamps, nothing that identified the sender. Only my name, written in sharp, precise letters.
I swallowed hard. "It's… for me."
Damien's gaze was unyielding. "Open it."
I did, slowly, fearing what I might find. Inside was a single photograph. My chest tightened as I recognized the figure standing in the shadows, watching the apartment from a distance. Someone I had thought I had left behind. Someone who had known where I was all along.
I dropped the photo, my hands shaking. "They… they know."
Damien's eyes narrowed, and the air between us grew almost unbearable. "We move tonight," he said. "Pack what you need. Nothing else. We leave in ten minutes."
I nodded, the adrenaline flooding through me, making my hands numb and my heart race. Every step I took toward the bedroom to wake Leo felt like stepping into a war zone. And in a way, it was. Our lives had been shadows for five years, but now the darkness was tangible, closing in, threatening to swallow us whole.
"Leo, wake up, baby," I whispered softly, brushing his hair from his face. "We have to go."
His eyes fluttered open, sleepy and confused. He clung to me instinctively, and I felt a pang of guilt and determination collide inside me. I would not let anything happen to him. Not now. Not ever.
Damien entered the room quietly, his presence overwhelming even in the dim light. "Lia, we need to move quickly. I've already secured the car. You follow my lead, and don't look back."
I nodded, my fingers tightening around Leo's small hand. And as we moved through the apartment, I realized something chillingly clear: the past was no longer a memory. It had found us. And with Damien Hale by my side, the storm was only beginning.
Outside, the city lights glimmered faintly through the rain-streaked windows, oblivious to the danger hiding in its shadows. I glanced at Damien as he carried Leo to the car, and despite the fear knotting my stomach, I felt a strange mix of relief and terror. Relief that he was here. Terror that his presence would make us a target.
As the engine roared to life and we drove into the darkened streets, I couldn't shake the feeling that every shadow held eyes. Every stranger was a potential threat. And in the back of my mind, I knew that whatever was coming, nothing would ever be the same again.
Damien glanced at me from the driver's seat, his dark eyes unflinching. "Stay close. Trust me," he said.
I nodded, pressing Leo to my chest. "I do," I whispered.
But even as I said it, a small, terrified part of me wondered if trusting him would be enough to survive the night.
Because the shadows were already closing in, and the unseen threats were closer than we ever imagined.