A Deal with the Devil
1131 Words
Chapter 30 — A Deal with the Devil
(Dual POV — Damian & Aria)
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Damian’s POV
Darkness.
That was the first thing I felt — weightless, endless darkness swallowing me whole.
Then pain.
It came crashing in waves, sharp and unrelenting, like jagged glass slicing through my ribs and skull. My head throbbed, my breathing ragged, each inhale laced with dust and smoke.
Somewhere above me, water dripped slowly, each drop echoing like a gunshot in the silence.
I forced my eyes open, blinking against the haze. The world swam before settling into sharp focus — collapsed steel beams, broken concrete, and a faint orange glow from emergency lights struggling to stay alive.
I was alive.
Barely.
But Aria—
Panic jolted through me like an electric current. I pushed myself up, ignoring the stabbing pain in my ribs, searching desperately through the debris.
“Aria!” My voice was hoarse, raw, almost unrecognizable.
No answer.
I stumbled forward, clawing through shattered rubble with bleeding hands, tossing aside jagged pieces of metal.
“Aria, damn it, answer me!”
Nothing.
Then a faint cough broke the silence.
I froze, breath hitching, and followed the sound until I found her, half-buried beneath a fallen support beam, her face pale and streaked with blood and dust.
I dropped to my knees instantly, brushing the debris off her body with frantic hands.
“Stay with me,” I muttered, my voice low and rough. “Come on, Aria, open your eyes.”
Her lashes fluttered, and she let out a weak groan. Relief hit me like a wrecking ball, so hard my hands trembled as I pulled her closer.
“You’re okay,” I whispered fiercely, pressing my forehead against hers.
“I’ve got you. I’m here.”
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Aria’s POV
My entire body hurt.
It felt like I’d been thrown through fire and ice all at once, every bone screaming, every breath a battle.
But Damian’s voice cut through the chaos, grounding me.
I blinked up at him, his face streaked with sweat and soot, his shirt torn, blood soaking his side — but his eyes, those dark, burning eyes, were locked on me like I was the only thing keeping him alive.
“You…” My throat was raw, my voice barely a whisper.
“You’re bleeding.”
He gave a soft, humorless chuckle.
“You noticed.”
I wanted to hit him. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to tell him I hated how reckless he was.
But instead, I just clung to his shirt, my voice breaking.
“I thought I lost you.”
His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I saw something raw flash in his gaze — fear.
“You won’t,” he said finally, his voice steady, unyielding.
“I won’t let you.”
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Damian’s POV
I pulled her up slowly, keeping her close, scanning our surroundings.
We were trapped.
The blast had collapsed the entire lower floor, leaving us in what looked like a maintenance level — steel pipes overhead, shattered concrete everywhere, and one narrow corridor stretching into pitch-black darkness.
There was no signal on my phone. No map. No backup.
And no guarantee Victor wasn’t already hunting us.
I gritted my teeth, forcing my mind to focus despite the throbbing pain in my ribs.
“Lucas,” I muttered under my breath, thinking about my second-in-command.
If he survived, he’d try to find us.
But we couldn’t wait for rescue.
I had to get Aria out myself.
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Aria’s POV
I could see Damian’s mind working — the sharpness in his gaze, the tightness in his jaw, the way his grip on me never loosened for even a second.
And then, from the darkness ahead, a slow, deliberate sound echoed.
Footsteps.
Damian stiffened instantly, pulling me behind him.
“Stay quiet,” he whispered, low and sharp.
The shadows shifted, and from them, a familiar figure emerged — tall, lean, and deadly calm.
Victor.
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Victor’s Arrival
He looked untouched, as if the chaos around us didn’t dare lay a hand on him. His black shirt was pristine, his expression maddeningly composed, his pale eyes glinting with cold amusement.
“Well, well,” Victor drawled, his voice smooth as silk and twice as dangerous.
“The king has fallen into his own trap.”
Damian’s gun was already in his hand, trained steadily on Victor’s chest.
“You should’ve killed me when you had the chance,” Damian said, his voice low, lethal.
Victor smiled faintly.
“Oh, Damian. Where’s the fun in that?”
I could feel the tension thrumming in the air, thick and suffocating. One wrong move, and blood would paint these walls.
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Damian’s POV
Victor took a slow step forward, unarmed but confident.
“Lower the gun,” he said casually, “or we’ll all die down here.”
I didn’t move, didn’t blink.
“Try me.”
He sighed like a man indulging a stubborn child.
“The explosion didn’t just collapse the warehouse. It triggered Phase Two.”
I clenched my jaw.
“Explain.”
Victor’s smirk widened.
“This entire level is rigged. In less than twenty minutes, the tunnels beneath us will flood. Steel doors will seal every exit. You and I, dear friend, will drown like rats.”
Aria gasped softly behind me, and my hand tightened on the gun.
“What do you want, Victor?” I growled.
He shrugged lazily.
“A deal.”
---
Aria’s POV
I wanted to scream at both of them.
We didn’t have time for this. We needed to move, to find a way out, to survive.
But the way Damian and Victor stared each other down — predators circling the same prey — made it clear that this wasn’t just about escape.
It was about power.
Victor’s gaze shifted, finally landing on me. A slow, knowing smile curved his lips.
“You’re the leverage, aren’t you?” he murmured, tilting his head.
“The weakness he swore he’d never have.”
Damian moved before Victor could blink, slamming him against the wall with a brutal force that rattled the pipes above us.
“You touch her,” Damian hissed, voice low and deadly, “and I swear I’ll rip you apart piece by piece.”
Victor only laughed softly, infuriatingly calm despite the knife-edge tension.
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Cliffhanger Ending
And then, somewhere deep below, a deafening alarm blared.
Water began pouring into the tunnels, icy and fast.
Victor smiled, unbothered, almost amused.
“Tick-tock, Damian.”
I grabbed Damian’s arm, panic rising in my chest.
“We have to move!”
But Victor stepped forward, his voice smooth, deliberate, deadly.
“Make the deal, Blackwood. Join me… or watch her drown.”
- Writer
