Chapter 10: Blood Oath
1099 Words
The air was thick with smoke and tension.
Damian’s men moved quickly through the estate, weapons drawn, their boots pounding against marble floors. But Damian barely heard them. His entire focus was on the trembling woman in his arms.
Isabella.
He tilted her face up, his thumb brushing over the tears streaking her cheeks. Rage coiled in his chest at the thought of someone breaking into his room, daring to touch his woman.
“You’re safe now,” he whispered, though his voice was sharp with fury. “No one will ever lay a finger on you again.”
Isabella shook her head, her pulse racing. “Safe? Damian, I was almost—” Her voice broke, her body shivering at the memory of the masked intruder’s voice. You’re his weakness.
Her nails dug into his arms. “You told me to stay inside. I did. And he was already there. How can you protect me when your enemies are already steps ahead?”
For a moment, Damian didn’t speak. His jaw clenched so tight it ached. Then he pulled her against his chest, pressing his lips to her hair.
“Because now,” he growled, “I’ll burn the world to the ground until I find who sent him.”
He stepped back, eyes dark, dangerous. He barked an order to one of his lieutenants who approached.
“Seal the estate. Nobody enters, nobody leaves. Search every corner. And if you find the bastard who stepped foot in my room—bring him to me alive.”
“Yes, boss,” the man replied before rushing off.
The hall buzzed with activity, but Isabella’s gaze stayed locked on Damian. His authority was terrifying and magnetic all at once, the kind of power that both frightened her and made her feel untouchably safe.
But beneath that power, she saw something else—guilt.
Her heart clenched. “Damian… am I really your weakness?”
The question slipped from her lips before she could stop it.
He froze. The muscles in his jaw twitched, and for a long moment, silence stretched between them. Finally, he reached for her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“Listen to me,” he said, voice low and lethal. “They’ll call you my weakness. They’ll say you’re the way to break me. But they’re wrong.”
“Then what am I?” Her voice cracked.
His gaze burned into hers. “You’re the only thing in this rotten world worth fighting for.”
Her breath caught. Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs. She wanted to believe him. God, she wanted to. But how could she, when tonight had proved just how vulnerable she was in his world?
Tears welled again, but this time, she shoved at his chest, anger bubbling up. “You say that now, Damian. But what happens when your enemies get closer? What happens when they use me against you? You’ll be forced to choose—and I’ll be the one who pays the price.”
He caught her wrists, holding her still, his eyes blazing. “Don’t you dare think for one second I’d ever let anyone harm you. You don’t understand what you mean to me.”
“Then help me understand!” she snapped, her voice trembling. “Because right now, all I feel is fear. Fear that loving you will destroy me.”
Her words cut deeper than any blade. Damian stared at her, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. For once, the man who commanded armies looked… broken.
Without another word, he tugged her down the corridor, ignoring the chaos around them. He pushed open the door to his private office, slamming it shut behind them.
The silence inside was suffocating. Only the crackle of a fireplace filled the room.
Damian turned, his hands braced against the desk as though he needed the support. His back was rigid, his head bowed.
Finally, he looked at her. “I swore I’d never let anyone close again. Not after what happened to my family. Not after what this life took from me.” His voice was rough, unsteady. “And then you appeared. You walked into my darkness like you belonged there.”
Her lips parted, her heart aching.
“You think you’re fragile, Isabella?” he continued, stepping closer, his eyes locked on hers. “You don’t see it, but you’re the strongest thing I’ve ever known. That’s why they fear you. Because with you beside me, I’m unstoppable.”
The words wrapped around her like a vow, both terrifying and intoxicating. She tried to look away, but his hand caught her jaw, tilting her face up.
“Do you believe me?” His voice dropped to a whisper, raw and desperate.
Her pulse thundered. She should run. She should push him away, keep her heart safe. But instead, she whispered the truth that terrified her most.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I want to.”
Something inside Damian snapped. With a groan, he crushed his mouth against hers.
The kiss was fierce, a clash of desperation and need. Isabella melted into him, her fingers gripping his shirt as if she could anchor herself in the storm he carried. His hands roamed down her back, pulling her closer, closer, until the world beyond those walls ceased to exist.
When they finally broke apart, breathless, Damian pressed his forehead against hers.
“Then let me prove it,” he murmured. “Not with words. With blood.”
Her eyes widened, but before she could ask what he meant, he pulled a dagger from his desk drawer. The blade gleamed in the firelight.
“Damian—”
He sliced the edge of his palm, blood welling instantly. Without hesitation, he held the blade out to her.
“Swear with me,” he said, voice steady. “That no matter what comes, no matter who tries to break us—you’re mine, and I’m yours. A vow they can never shatter.”
Her breath hitched, fear and desire tangling in her chest. The weight of his world pressed down on her shoulders, but so did the pull of his love.
With trembling fingers, she took the dagger.
And as the sharp sting kissed her skin, Isabella realized she was crossing a line she could never uncross.
Together, their blood mingled as Damian clasped her hand tightly, his eyes blazing like fire.
“In blood and vow,” he whispered, sealing the promise that would bind them in both love and danger.
- Writer
