Blood in the Shadows
652 Words
Chapter 25 — Blood in the Shadows
(Dual POV — Damian & Aria)
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Aria’s POV
My ears rang as dust and smoke choked the air. The explosion still echoed in my skull, leaving me dizzy, disoriented.
Someone grabbed my arm, dragging me behind a half-collapsed pillar.
“Stay down!” Lucas hissed, pressing me against the wall.
Through the haze, I caught a glimpse of Damian. He was standing in the middle of the wreckage, unshaken, his silhouette sharp and commanding against the chaos. His gun was drawn, his eyes cold fire as he scanned for threats.
“Aria!” he barked, his voice slicing through the noise.
I looked up, trembling, and his gaze locked onto mine.
I’d never seen his expression like this before — lethal, unrestrained, terrifying.
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Damian’s POV
The explosion wasn’t an attack. It was a message.
Victor was taunting me.
The bastard was hiding somewhere in the shadows, thinking he could scare me into giving up Aria.
Not happening.
“Lucas!” I barked, keeping my voice steady.
“Get her out. Safe house. Code Red.”
Lucas nodded sharply and grabbed Aria’s hand. But she resisted, shaking her head violently.
“No,” she gasped, coughing from the smoke.
“I’m not leaving without you!”
I stalked toward her, jaw clenched, forcing her to look at me.
“You don’t have a choice, Aria. You walk out of here now, or you die here. There’s no middle ground.”
Her lips trembled, but before she could answer, the sound of boots echoed through the smoke.
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Aria’s POV
Figures emerged from the haze — masked men, armed, moving in silence like predators.
Lucas aimed and fired first, the deafening cracks reverberating off the walls. Two bodies dropped instantly, but more kept coming.
I ducked lower, my heart slamming against my ribs, trying to stay invisible.
Damian stepped forward, unfazed, firing with precision, every bullet lethal. He moved like a shadow, controlled, untouchable.
But there were too many.
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Damian’s POV
Victor was playing me. He wanted me distracted.
While I fought his pawns, he’d make his move on Aria.
I cursed under my breath and switched tactics. Instead of trading bullets, I fired at the ceiling beams overhead.
The structure groaned, concrete raining down, forcing the attackers to scatter.
I grabbed Aria’s wrist, yanking her against me.
“Stay with me,” I growled into her ear, feeling her ragged breath against my neck.
“Don’t you dare let go.”
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Aria’s POV
We ran through the shattered hallway, glass crunching beneath our feet. My lungs burned, my chest tight with panic, but Damian didn’t slow down, dragging me with relentless force.
Somewhere behind us, Lucas was shouting commands, covering our backs.
Then, just as we turned a corner —
A figure stepped out of the shadows.
Tall. Broad. Smirking.
Victor Hale.
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Damian’s POV
“Blackwood,” he drawled, lowering his pistol casually, like we were old friends meeting for drinks instead of standing in a warzone.
I raised my gun instantly, every muscle coiled and ready to strike.
“Let her go,” I warned, placing myself in front of Aria.
Victor’s grin widened.
“You always were possessive.”
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Aria’s POV
My breath caught as Victor’s eyes slid to me, dark and calculating.
He tilted his head slightly, speaking directly to Damian — but his gaze never left mine.
“You can’t protect her forever,” he said softly.
“She’ll have to choose eventually.”
I frowned, confused — choose what?
Then Damian moved.
In one smooth motion, he pulled the trigger.
But Victor… disappeared.
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Cliffhanger Ending
The hallway lights flickered violently, and suddenly, the emergency shutters slammed down, locking us inside.
A distorted voice echoed through hidden speakers, chilling and sharp:
“Round one’s over, Blackwood. Now we play my game.”
And then, silence.
- Writer
