CHAPTER FIVE: A DEAL WITH DESTINY
1042 Words
Selene’s hands still trembled as she and Xavier made their way through the winding underground tunnels beneath the ruined vault. The tension between them was thick, palpable, but Xavier hadn’t said another word since they left. His silence was worse than his anger.
She had bought them time. That was all that mattered.
But the weight of Lucian’s deal pressed against her ribs like iron. Twenty-four hours. That was all she had to decide: betray Xavier and walk away with her life intact or stand by him and face the wrath of Lucian Vale.
The thought made her stomach twist.
She stole a glance at Xavier. He moved with practiced ease, but she could see the exhaustion in the way his shoulders sagged ever so slightly. He had used too much magic. If Lucian struck again now, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
She told herself she had done the right thing.
So why did it feel like she had just set something in motion that she couldn’t control?
---
By the time they reached Xavier’s safe house—a high-rise penthouse in an abandoned district—he was still eerily quiet. The moment they stepped inside, he walked straight to the large window overlooking the city. Golden light flickered around his hands, betraying his unrest.
Selene hesitated. “Xavier, I—”
“Don’t.”
The single word cut through the air like a blade. He didn’t turn around.
Her throat tightened. She had never seen him like this before. He was always in control, always three steps ahead. But now? He looked lost.
She wanted to tell him the truth. That Lucian had given her a choice. That she had a deadline hanging over her head like an executioner’s blade.
But she couldn’t.
Not yet.
Xavier finally exhaled, rubbing his temples. “Something’s coming, Selene.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
Before he could answer, his entire body went rigid. His golden eyes darkened, unfocused—his breathing grew shallow.
Selene stepped forward in alarm. “Xavier?”
But he wasn’t there anymore. He passed out.
---
Xavier stood in a place he didn’t recognize.
The air smelled of fire and blood, the sky above him cracked with veins of silver light. He could hear whispers, too many to count, circling around him like ghosts.
And then—
A figure emerged from the darkness. A woman.
Her silver eyes blazed with an unnatural glow, her face half-hidden in the shadows.
"You walk a cursed path,” she said, her voice both distant and impossibly close. “You have before. You will again.”
Xavier tried to speak, but no words came.
The woman stepped closer. “You do not trust her.”
Selene.
Xavier’s chest tightened.
"The path you walk leads to the same fate as before. Betrayal is inevitable. But destiny is watching—waiting for your choice.”
The whispers grew louder, the ground beneath him shifting.
And then—
He was falling.
---
Xavier jerked awake, his body drenched in sweat.
Selene was still there, standing over him with a look of concern.
"You blacked out,” she said cautiously. “What happened?”
He sat up, running a shaky hand through his hair. “Nothing.”
Lie.
But how could he tell her? How could he say that the vision had felt so real, so certain?
Betrayal is inevitable.
The words clung to him like a curse.
Selene was hiding something from him. He knew it now with absolute certainty.
And the worst part?
He didn’t know if it was her choice—or fate itself guiding her hand.
---
That night, while Xavier rested, Selene made her decision.
She slipped out of the penthouse unnoticed, heart pounding as she made her way through the city.
By the time she reached Lucian’s private penthouse, she had already rehearsed what she would say a hundred times.
The guards let her in without a word. The moment she stepped inside, she found Lucian waiting, reclining lazily in an armchair, a glass of deep red wine in his hand.
“You’re early,” he mused.
Selene forced herself to meet his gaze. “I came with a counteroffer.”
Lucian’s smirk deepened. “Oh? Do tell.”
She took a steadying breath. “You don’t need brute force to destroy Xavier. You need to ruin him from the inside.”
Lucian tilted his head, intrigued. “Go on.”
“I’ll expose his past myself,” she continued, every word tasting like poison. “But on my terms. In a way that keeps me alive.”
Lucian swirled his wine thoughtfully. “And if you fail?”
Selene clenched her fists. “I won’t.”
Lucian smiled. “I like your confidence.” He set his glass down and stood. “Very well. You have three days. Bring Xavier to his knees, and you walk away free.”
Selene exhaled in relief—until Lucian’s eyes darkened.
“But,” he added, “if you fail, you belong to me.”
A chill ran down her spine. “What do you mean?”
Lucian stepped closer, lifting a single finger. Shadows coiled around his hand. “A binding contract,” he said smoothly. “You don’t think I’d simply take your word, do you?”
Selene’s pulse raced. She had walked into the lion’s den—and now she was trapped.
Lucian extended his hand. “Do we have a deal?”
Selene hesitated for only a fraction of a second.
Then, slowly, she reached out and shook his hand.
Magic crackled between them, sealing the contract.
There was no turning back now.
-------
By the time Selene returned to Xavier’s hideout, her hands were still shaking.
She stood outside the door for a long moment, trying to calm her breathing.
This wasn’t betrayal.
It was survival.
She repeated the words in her mind like a mantra.
But when she stepped inside and saw Xavier—his back to her, staring out at the city, his posture heavy with exhaustion and something else she couldn’t name—
She knew.
She had just made the biggest mistake of her life.
And Xavier had no idea.
To be continued...........
- Writer
