The Ghost She Buried
392 Words
Chapter 20 – The Ghost She Buried
Alesia woke in Nico’s bed, her body aching from the chaos of the night before. The sheets were still stained with a mix of blood, sweat, and desire—reminders of the choices she could no longer unmake.
She sat up slowly, brushing her hair from her face. Nico wasn’t beside her.
But someone else was.
A pale envelope sat on the pillow. No seal. No name.
She opened it.
> "Your brother is alive. And he’s coming for you. Run, before he brings hell to your door."
Her breath caught. Her hands trembled.
She hadn’t heard that name in years. Her brother, Damien—the one person who had promised to protect her, then vanished the night everything went to hell. She had believed he was dead. Now someone was playing games.
But who?
She slipped the note under a drawer and dressed quickly in dark clothes. She found Nico in the war room, standing over a map marked with fresh bloodstains. His hands were behind his back, his body rigid.
“You didn’t come back to bed,” she said softly.
He didn’t turn around. “Had to send a message to the rest of them. Anyone touches what’s mine, they die slow.”
Alesia walked to the table, placing the note beside the map.
He read it.
Still, no expression. “Is it true?”
“I don’t know. But if it is… Damien won’t stop. He doesn’t forget. And he won’t forgive what I’ve become.”
“You mean what I’ve made you.”
She met his eyes. “He’ll come for me, Nico. And when he does… he won’t come alone.”
He stepped forward, his voice a low growl. “Then let him come. Let him bring the sky down. I’ll bury your past in the same grave I’ll put your enemies.”
“But what if he’s not my enemy?” she whispered.
Nico’s grip on her jaw was firm, possessive. “If he’s not mine, he will be.”
Their kiss this time wasn’t violent—it was slow, hungry, a warning and a promise. He wouldn’t let her go. Not now. Not ever.
And she knew—when the storm arrived, the real war wouldn’t be between her brother and Nico.
It would be inside her.
- Writer
