Bound by Blood
963 Words
Chapter 31 — Bound by Blood
(Dual POV — Damian & Aria)
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Damian’s POV
Victor’s words sliced through the silence, sharp and deliberate.
> “Join me… or watch her drown.”
My grip on the gun tightened, my finger twitching on the trigger. I wanted to put a bullet between his smug eyes right there, end this game once and for all.
But then I heard it — the rushing water, a low, rumbling roar growing louder with every passing second. The tunnels were flooding fast.
And Aria’s soft, uneven breathing behind me was the only thing keeping me from pulling that trigger.
I couldn’t lose her.
Not now.
Not ever.
“Tick-tock, Damian,” Victor said again, his voice maddeningly calm as he gestured lazily at the rising water. “You have less than ten minutes before this entire level is underwater.”
I aimed the gun higher, straight at his forehead.
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”
Victor smiled, cold and confident.
“Because I’m the only one who knows the way out.”
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Aria’s POV
The sound of water rushing closer clawed at my chest, making it hard to breathe. My legs trembled beneath me, but I refused to let panic take over. Not now.
I looked at Damian — jaw tight, shoulders rigid, his entire body coiled like a predator ready to strike — and then at Victor, who leaned casually against the damp wall as if we weren’t seconds away from drowning.
This wasn’t just a standoff.
It was a war.
“Damian,” I whispered, gripping his arm tightly. “We don’t have time for this.”
His eyes flicked to mine for a fraction of a second, and I saw it — the battle raging inside him. Rage against reason. Instinct against survival.
He finally lowered the gun… slightly.
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Damian’s POV
“You have thirty seconds,” I growled, stepping closer to Victor.
“Tell me your plan. One wrong word, and you die.”
Victor raised a brow, seemingly unfazed.
“There’s an escape shaft two levels down. Sealed and hidden — only I know the access code. But there’s a catch.”
Of course there was.
“What catch?” I demanded.
“You can’t reach it without me.”
He tilted his head, smiling like a viper.
“And I don’t move unless you agree to my terms.”
I cursed under my breath.
I hated him.
I hated needing him even more.
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Aria’s POV
The water was already ankle-deep and rising fast, icy and relentless as it rushed past my boots.
“Damian, we’re running out of time,” I said, my voice breaking as I grabbed his hand.
“Please.”
He looked at me, his eyes dark and stormy, and then turned back to Victor.
“Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “You get us out. After that, we settle this.”
Victor’s smile widened, slow and cruel.
“Deal.”
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Damian’s POV
We moved fast, sprinting through the collapsing tunnels as Victor led us deeper underground. Every step echoed with the roar of rushing water chasing us like a living, hungry beast.
My ribs burned. My lungs ached. But Aria’s hand was in mine, and that was the only thing keeping me moving.
“Faster!” Victor barked, glancing over his shoulder. “This way!”
We turned a sharp corner and stopped dead.
A massive steel door stood before us, locked tight, with a keypad glowing faintly red in the dim light.
Victor stepped forward and began punching in a code with precise, practiced movements.
Aria clung to my arm, trembling, her breaths shallow.
“Hurry up,” I snapped, glancing at the rising water behind us.
“Patience,” Victor said calmly. “You’ll live longer.”
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Aria’s POV
The keypad beeped, and with a loud clunk, the steel door began to slide open.
Victor stepped aside with a mock bow.
“After you.”
Damian shoved past him, pulling me through the doorway into a narrow maintenance shaft that led upward. The air here was damp but breathable, and for the first time, I felt a flicker of hope.
Until I heard gunfire.
Bullets ricocheted off the walls, sparks flying.
“Down!” Damian shouted, pulling me against him and shielding my body with his own.
I looked back and saw armed men flooding the corridor behind Victor, weapons drawn.
Victor cursed under his breath, pulling out his own gun.
“Looks like Lucas found us first.”
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Damian’s POV
Lucas.
My most trusted second-in-command.
Or… my former second-in-command, apparently.
“Guess he switched sides,” Victor said, firing two clean shots down the hall without even flinching.
I grabbed Aria’s hand and yanked her behind a stack of steel crates for cover.
“Stay here,” I ordered, checking the chamber of my gun.
“No!” she snapped, grabbing my wrist. “Damian, you’re hurt, you can’t—”
“I said stay here, Aria.” My voice was sharp, colder than I intended, but there was no time to explain.
I turned back toward the fight just as Lucas stepped into view, his face shadowed, his gun aimed directly at my chest.
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Cliffhanger Ending
“Put the gun down, Lucas,” I said, voice low and lethal.
He smiled faintly, shaking his head.
“You taught me never to hesitate, boss.”
The sound of rushing water roared louder behind us, bullets still flying.
Victor whispered beside me, low and dangerous:
“You’d better choose, Damian… fight me or fight him.”
I raised my gun, heart pounding.
But Lucas pulled the trigger first.
BANG.
- Writer
