Blood and Vows
871 Words
Chapter 14 — Blood and Vows
(Dual POV — Damian & Aria)
---
Damian’s POV
The convoy’s location lit up on the GPS — a warehouse by the docks, where the city’s shadows swallowed the light.
“Three minutes out,” Cole muttered, checking his weapon.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, knuckles white, heart pounding against my ribs like a war drum.
Victor Hale dared to take her.
Every second Aria spent in his hands fueled a storm inside me, one I could barely contain.
Cole glanced at me. “You sure you want to do this without backup?”
I didn’t look at him. “I’m not waiting.”
Sofia’s voice crackled through the earpiece, sharp with tension.
> “Damian, I’m monitoring the area. Multiple heat signatures inside. You’re walking into an ambush.”
“Good,” I growled. “Let him try.”
---
Aria’s POV
Victor’s men moved like shadows around the warehouse, weapons glinting under the dim light.
I sat on the cold metal chair, wrists still bound, pulse hammering in my ears.
Victor leaned casually against a crate, swirling a glass of whiskey, watching me like a predator savoring the silence before the kill.
“You know,” he said softly, “Damian is probably on his way right now.”
I met his gaze, forcing steel into my voice. “And when he gets here, you’re dead.”
Victor smiled faintly, sipping his drink. “Exactly.”
The quiet menace in his tone made my stomach twist.
“You think you’re the prize here, Aria,” he continued, stepping closer. “But you’re not. You’re the bait.”
---
Damian’s POV
We reached the edge of the docks.
Cole and I slipped out of the car, boots crunching against gravel as we moved through the shadows.
The air was thick with the stench of salt and oil, broken only by the faint hum of the city beyond.
“Two snipers,” Sofia whispered in my earpiece. “Rooftop, east and west corners.”
I took them out silently, two clean shots muffled by a suppressor.
One less problem.
But I knew Victor.
He wouldn’t make this easy.
---
Aria’s POV
The steel door creaked open.
One of Victor’s men entered, whispering something into his ear.
Victor’s lips curled into a sharp, wicked smile.
“He’s here,” he murmured, setting his glass down.
My heart jolted.
I yanked against the cuffs, the metal slicing into my skin. “Victor, listen to me, whatever you’re planning—”
He crouched down in front of me, resting his forearms on his knees.
“This isn’t about you, sweetheart,” he said softly. “This is about Damian. Always has been.”
I glared at him. “Then leave me out of it.”
His smile widened, but there was no warmth in it.
“Oh, but you are in it,” he whispered. “You’ve always been in it. You just didn’t know.”
---
Damian’s POV
I breached the side entrance, silenced gun raised, Cole covering me.
Inside, shadows bled into one another, crates stacked high like walls of secrets.
I moved like a predator, silent and focused, every muscle wired tight.
Then I saw her.
Across the warehouse, tied to a chair under a single hanging light, her hair messy, her wrists bruised — but alive.
Relief crashed through me like a wave.
And then, beside her, I saw him.
Victor Hale.
---
Aria’s POV
The door slammed open, and my heart stopped.
Damian stepped inside like a storm given form, dressed in black, gun raised, his icy gaze locked on Victor.
Time slowed, the air thick with danger, power, and something else — something electric.
“Let her go,” Damian’s voice was calm, deadly, final.
Victor chuckled, slowly rising to his feet.
“Or what?” he asked lazily. “You’ll kill me? We both know you won’t. Not yet.”
Damian’s jaw clenched. “Don’t test me.”
---
Damian’s POV
Victor raised his hands slightly, as if surrendering — but his eyes gleamed with malice.
“You think this is about the girl?” he said softly. “No, Damian. This is about us. You and me. And all the lies buried beneath the Blackwood empire.”
I aimed my gun at his chest, my voice ice-cold.
“You’ve already crossed the line. Walk away while you can.”
He smirked, tilting his head. “Funny. Your mother said the same thing the night she ordered Sullivan’s death.”
---
Aria’s POV
The words hit like a blade through my chest.
I froze, staring at Damian.
“Damian…” my voice trembled, raw and small. “Tell me he’s lying.”
Damian didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
And that silence — that awful, crushing silence — was louder than any truth.
Tears stung my eyes, but Victor’s smile widened, savoring every second of my breaking.
“Oh, Aria,” he whispered softly. “Welcome to the real Blackwood legacy.”
---
Cliffhanger Ending
In one smooth motion, Victor pulled the trigger.
A gunshot exploded in the warehouse.
I screamed, Damian lunged forward —
And then everything went black.
- Writer
