Chapter Three: The safe house
1346 Words
Chapter 3:The Safe House .
The SUV smelled like leather and cedar. Lucien’s scent.
I sat as far from him as the back seat allowed, arms crossed, ledger still tucked in my boot. He hadn’t asked for it yet. That either meant he was patient, or he already knew I’d hidden it.
Vampires. Always ten steps ahead.
“Do you trust your driver?” I asked, watching the man in the rearview mirror.
Lucien didn’t look up from his phone. “Marcus has been with me for forty years. He’s loyal.”
“To you,” I said. “Not to me.”
His lips twitched. “Fair.”
We drove for twenty minutes through the city’s underbelly. Neon turned to shadow, warehouses replaced apartments. When we stopped, it was in front of a nondescript brownstone with blacked-out windows and no sign.
“Home?” I asked.
“My safe house,” he said, stepping out first and holding the door for me. “Viktor doesn’t know about it. Yet.”
I slid out, legs shaky from adrenaline and blood loss. Lucien’s hand hovered near my elbow, but he didn’t touch me. Smart. I’d probably bite him if he did.
Marcus opened the front door with a keypad code. Inside, it was clean, modern, and cold. Too cold. No pictures, no clutter. Just a place to hide and wait.
“Second door on the right,” Lucien said. “Bathroom. There are clothes in the closet that should fit. Clean yourself up.”
I should’ve argued. I should’ve demanded answers, demanded he tell me why he cared if I lived or died. But my ribs hurt, my lip was split, and the bond was still humming under my skin, making it hard to think straight.
So I went.
The bathroom was bigger than my apartment. Marble, glass, gold fixtures. Overkill. I locked the door and peeled off my jacket, wincing at the bruise blooming across my ribs.
Kade hit hard.
I turned on the shower and stood under the hot water until my hands stopped shaking. The ledger in my boot was soaked, but the pages inside were waterproof. Paranoid? Yes. Alive? Also yes.
When I came out, I was wearing a plain black t-shirt and sweatpants that were two sizes too big. Lucien’s, probably. They smelled like him.
He was waiting in the living room, sitting on the edge of a leather couch with a glass of something red in his hand. Not wine. I could smell the iron from here.
“Better?” he asked.
“Define better.”
He set the glass down and stood. “You’re not bleeding anymore. Your wolf isn’t close to the surface. That’s better.”
I kept my distance. “Where’s my sister?”
His expression didn’t change. “Safe. For now.”
“For now isn’t good enough,” I said, stepping forward. “If Viktor gets to her—”
“He won’t,” Lucien cut in. “I have people watching her. If Viktor moves, I’ll know before he gets within a mile.”
“And why should I believe you?”
“Because I have no reason to lie,” he said simply. “If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. If I wanted your sister dead, she’d be dead. The only reason you’re both alive is because I need you alive.”
“Great. Selfish reasons. Makes me feel so much better.”
Lucien sighed. He looked tired. For a vampire, that was saying something.
“Ava,” he said my name for the first time, and it hit harder than I expected. “Your father and mine started this war. I didn’t ask for it. You didn’t ask for it. But the bond doesn’t care. It’s there, and it’s getting stronger.”
I flinched. “Don’t say that.”
“I’m not trying to scare you,” he said. “I’m trying to be honest. If Viktor kills you, the bond snaps. And when it snaps, I’ll lose control. I’ve seen it happen before. Vampires don’t survive that.”
“So I’m your leash?” I asked, voice cold.
“You’re my mate,” he said. “That’s more than a leash. That’s a reason to stay sane.”
Silence fell between us. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
I broke it first. “The ledger.”
“There it is,” he said, almost relieved. “Where is it?”
“In my boot,” I said. “But I’m not giving it to you.”
Lucien frowned. “Ava—”
“I don’t trust you,” I said. “Not yet. But I’ll make you a deal. You keep my sister safe. You keep Viktor off my back. And you tell me everything you know about why our families are at war. Then we talk about the ledger.”
He studied me for a long moment. Then he nodded.
“Deal,” he said. “But the ledger stays in your possession until I earn your trust. Fair?”
Fairer than I expected.
“Fair,” I said.
He moved then, fast but not threatening, and pulled a file from the coffee table. He tossed it to me.
“Start there,” he said. “Everything about the Carter-Ashford war from my side. Dates, names, what really happened eighty years ago.”
I caught the file and opened it. Photos. Reports. Old newspaper clippings.
“Why now?” I asked. “Why show me this now?”
“Because you deserve to know the truth,” Lucien said. “And because if we’re going to survive Viktor, we need to be on the same side. The real enemy isn’t your pack or mine. It’s him.”
I sat down on the couch, the file heavy in my lap. Lucien sat on the opposite end, giving me space.
For the next hour, I read.
And what I read made me sick.
My grandfather didn’t die in a hunting accident. He was killed on Ashford orders. And Ashford didn’t retaliate because of a stolen shipment. They retaliated because Viktor framed them. He’d been playing both sides for decades, stirring the war to keep both packs weak and dependent on his hunters.
“Bastard,” I muttered.
Lucien nodded. “He’s been doing this a long time. He wants control of both territories. With you and me bonded, he can’t. We’re stronger together.”
I closed the file and looked at him. Really looked at him.
“You’re asking me to trust you,” I said.
“I’m asking you to consider it,” he said. “I’m not asking you to forgive. Not yet.”
The bond flared, warm and insistent. Mine. Mate.
I hated that part of me wanted to say yes.
“Why me?” I asked quietly. “Out of everyone, why me?”
Lucien was quiet for a long time. Then he said, “Because when I saw you in that alley, you didn’t run. You stood your ground. You fought. Even when you were outnumbered, even when you knew you’d lose. That’s rare.”
“And that makes me mate material?”
“That makes you worth fighting for,” he said.
Before I could answer, Marcus’s voice came over the intercom. “Sir. We have movement. Viktor’s men are three blocks out.”
Lucien stood instantly. “How long?”
“Five minutes. Maybe less.”
I was on my feet before he finished speaking. “My sister?”
“Already moved,” Lucien said. “She’s safe.”
I didn’t have time to feel relief.
“Get the ledger,” Lucien said. “We’re leaving.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere he can’t follow,” he said, grabbing my hand. His skin was cool, but the bond flared hot at the contact. “Trust me, Ava.”
I hesitated for half a second.
Then I nodded.
We ran.
Behind us, the door burst open. Viktor’s men were here.
And this time, I had someone watching my back.
- Writer
