Chapter Two: The offer
1341 Words
Chapter Two:The Offer
Lucien’s thumb pressed harder against my pulse, not enough to bruise, just enough to remind me he could.
“You’re shaking,” he said. His voice was low, amused. “Scared of me, little thief?”
I bared my teeth. “Scared of wasting time.”
For a second, something flickered behind his eyes. Not surprise. Recognition.
He stepped back, and the cold left my skin like a tide pulling out. The alley felt louder without him so close.
“Give me the file,” he said again. No threat this time. Just certainty.
I clutched it tighter. The stolen ledger was the only proof I had that my father’s pack hadn’t sold out to Viktor’s rogue hunters. If Viktor got it first, my sister was dead.
“And if I don’t?” I asked.
Lucien tilted his head. Rain dripped from his hair, but he didn’t seem to notice. Vampires didn’t catch colds.
“Then I take it. And you.”
My wolf snarled at the word *take*. Mine. Mate.
No. The bond wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Fated mates didn’t happen between a Carter and an Ashford. Our families had been killing each other for eighty years.
“You think I’d let you mark me?” I spat.
“I think you don’t have a choice,” he said calmly. “The bond is already there. I felt it the moment I saw you. Your wolf felt it too.”
I hated that he was right. My wolf was clawing under my skin, desperate to go to him, to submit, to—
I slammed the instinct down.
“You’re wrong,” I said. “I’d rather die.”
Lucien’s lips quirked. “We’ll see.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a black card. No name, no insignia. Just a phone number etched in silver.
“When Viktor comes for you tonight, call this. I’ll be the lesser of two evils.”
“Why would you help me?” I asked, even as I took the card. His fingers brushed mine, and the bond flared hot.
“Because if Viktor kills you, the bond breaks,” he said simply. “And I don’t break.”
He turned and walked away, moving like shadow and silence.
I stood there until I couldn’t hear him anymore, the card burning a hole in my palm.
The rain hadn’t let up. It soaked through my jacket, cold against skin that was already too hot from the bond’s pull. I wanted to throw the card away. I wanted to run it through a shredder, burn it, pretend this night never happened.
But my wolf wasn’t done. She paced under my skin, restless, scenting him even though he was gone. Mate. Protector. Danger.
“Shut up,” I muttered to myself.
I didn’t get far.
Footsteps. Heavy. Deliberate. Not Lucien’s silent glide. These boots hit the pavement like they owned it.
“Found you, Carter,” a voice drawled from the mouth of the alley.
Viktor’s lieutenant, Kade. Six foot five of scar tissue and bad decisions. Behind him, two more hunters, all silver-coated blades and predatory grins.
I slipped the card into my boot and pulled out the ledger, holding it up like a shield. “Tell Viktor the deal’s off. He wants this, he comes through me.”
Kade laughed. “Brave words for a pup with no pack.” He stepped forward, and the others fanned out. “Hand it over. Or we take it. And you.”
Déjà vu hit hard.
I didn’t wait for them to move. I threw the ledger behind me into a dumpster, hard enough that it slid under a pile of trash. If I couldn’t keep it, they weren’t getting it either.
Kade’s smile vanished. “Stupid girl.”
The first hunter lunged.
I moved on instinct. My wolf surged forward, claws pricking at my fingertips. I dodged left, kicked out, caught him in the knee. Bone cracked. He howled.
“Get her!” Kade roared.
Pain exploded across my ribs as the second hunter clipped me. I hit the ground hard, taste of copper in my mouth. The bond flared, agony and need tangled together. Lucien. Far away, but present. Watching? Waiting?
I couldn’t think about that now.
I rolled, grabbed a broken pipe from the gutter, and swung. It connected with Kade’s jaw. He stumbled back, blood splitting his lip.
“You’re going to regret that,” he said.
“Line up, I’ll do it again,” I spat.
They came at me all at once.
I fought dirty. Teeth, nails, knees, elbows. My wolf was in charge now, snarling and snapping. I took down one hunter, then another. But Kade was bigger, stronger, and he’d been doing this longer than I’d been alive.
His fist caught my temple. The world went white.
When I came to, I was on my knees, Kade’s hand fisted in my hair, dragging my head back. A silver blade pressed to my throat. Cold. Burning.
“Last chance,” Kade said. “Where’s the ledger?”
I smiled through bloodied teeth. “Go to hell.”
He pressed harder. The blade bit.
“Viktor wants you alive,” he muttered. “But he didn’t say how much.”
Footsteps. Fast. Too fast for human.
Lucien hit the alley like a storm.
One second Kade was holding me, the next he was on the ground ten feet away, choking, Lucien’s hand around his throat.
“You touch what’s mine,” Lucien said quietly, “and I end you.”
Kade laughed, choking on it. “She’s not yours, vampire. The bond isn’t complete. I can still kill her.”
Lucien’s eyes flashed red. “Try.”
Chaos.
Lucien moved faster than I could track. Kade’s men didn’t stand a chance. Bones broke. Blood sprayed. In under thirty seconds, the alley was silent except for my ragged breathing and Kade’s gurgling.
Lucien stood over him, chest not even rising. Untouched. Unbothered.
“Message to Viktor,” Lucien said. “She’s under my protection now. Come for her again, and I come for you.”
Kade spat blood. “You can’t protect her forever.”
Lucien smiled, slow and dangerous. “Watch me.”
He turned to me then. His expression changed in an instant, the predator receding, leaving something almost human behind. Concern.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
I wanted to say no. I wanted to shove him away and tell him I didn’t need his help. But my legs gave out, and I would’ve hit the ground if he hadn’t caught me.
“Just tired,” I lied.
He didn’t buy it. His arm came around me, steady, warm. Too warm. My wolf whined, pressing closer.
“You should’ve called,” he said against my hair.
“I don’t trust you,” I whispered back.
“Good,” he said. “Trust is earned. But you’re alive. That’s enough for now.”
He lifted me like I weighed nothing and carried me out of the alley. The rain had stopped. The city was quiet.
“You can’t keep me,” I said as we walked.
“No,” he agreed. “But I can keep you safe until you decide to stay.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. The bond hummed between us, quiet but insistent. Mine. Mate.
We stopped in front of a black SUV. His driver opened the door without a word.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Somewhere Viktor can’t find you,” Lucien said. “For tonight.”
“And tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow,” he said, setting me in the seat and shutting the door, “we talk about the ledger. And about us.”
The car pulled away from the curb. I watched the alley disappear in the rearview mirror, my fingers still curled around the card in my boot.
Two hours later, Viktor’s men found me. But this time, I wasn’t alone.
- Writer
