Chapter 5: Blood and Memory
927 Words
(Arianna’s POV)
Mercer didn’t leave the party.
He stayed long after the music faded and the guests disappeared.
He walked the halls like a ghost with a name.
And Leo didn’t like ghosts in his house.
---
The next night, Leo called me to the west wing.
He didn’t speak right away.
He just stared out the window, holding a glass of something dark.
His jaw was tight.
His eyes were colder than I’d seen before.
"He’s still here," he finally said.
"Mercer. I let him stay one more night because I want to know why he’s here."
I stood quietly.
Waiting.
Listening.
"Tomorrow, I’ll have answers."
He turned to me.
"But tonight, I want to see something."
I tilted my head.
"You’re going to train again."
I raised an eyebrow.
"With me."
---
The private gym was built underground.
All black steel and glass.
It smelled like sweat, leather, and blood.
Leo handed me two blades — short, light, fast.
He didn’t use a weapon.
Just his fists.
"No rules," he said.
"Show me what you were before you came here."
I didn’t hesitate.
I moved first — low, fast, aiming for his side.
He blocked. Spun. Grabbed my wrist.
I twisted free and kicked toward his knee.
He grunted.
Not in pain — in approval.
---
We moved like dancers.
Sharp, controlled, deadly dancers.
Every move I made, he countered.
Every strike he threw, I read — barely.
Sweat ran down my spine.
My heart thundered.
But I didn’t stop.
And neither did he.
This was not training.
This was testing.
I wasn’t his guest anymore.
I was his weapon — being measured.
Pushed. Pressed. Sharpened.
---
Then something changed.
He moved faster.
Harder.
His punches came too close.
My arms burned.
He swept my legs — I hit the floor.
Hard.
But I rolled and stood again.
Breathing heavy.
My blade slipped from my hand.
Leo stood across from me, chest rising.
His knuckles were bruised.
Blood dripped from a cut on his lip.
He looked at me — like he was looking into something deeper.
"That’s who you are, Arianna," he said.
"Not a girl in red. Not a shadow in my hall. You’re fury wrapped in silence."
He walked closer.
"And that silence... screams louder than most men ever will."
I didn’t know what to say.
So I just stood there.
Chest rising. Eyes locked to his.
He raised a hand — slowly — and touched the side of my face.
His fingers were warm.
Rough.
Real.
"I see you now."
Then he walked past me, leaving the gym.
And I stood alone.
Heart pounding for a reason I didn’t understand.
---
I didn’t sleep that night.
Too many thoughts.
Too many old ghosts knocking.
Mercer was one of them.
I had to know why he was here.
So I left my room.
Moved through the halls like I used to move through enemy mansions.
Silent. Sharp. Cold.
I found him in the library.
Sitting by the fire, reading some medical file like he wasn’t a monster.
I stepped inside.
He didn’t even look up.
"I knew you’d come," he said calmly.
"Still silent, I see. Still dangerous."
My hand reached for the knife hidden in my dress.
But he raised a finger.
"You could kill me right now, Arianna."
"But that wouldn’t help you."
I stepped closer.
He looked up then.
"You want answers. I’ll give them to you."
He stood — slowly, without fear.
"I didn’t come here for Leo. I came for you."
My stomach twisted.
He smiled faintly.
"You’re special. You always were. The only subject who could hear lies — truly hear them."
"They want you back, Arianna."
"The Syndicate. They know you’re alive. They know where you are."
I froze.
"You’re not free."
"You never were."
---
I moved fast.
Blade to his throat.
He didn’t flinch.
"Do it," he whispered.
"But know this — they will come. With or without me."
I stared at him.
So close.
I could end it here.
But his words stuck.
They knew.
They were coming.
---
Footsteps behind me.
I turned.
Leo.
His face was stone.
His eyes burned.
"Step away from her."
Mercer smirked.
"Don’t worry, Don. I was just leaving."
Leo moved so fast I barely saw it.
He punched Mercer — hard — across the jaw.
The older man staggered but didn’t fall.
"Touch her again," Leo said coldly, "and I’ll rip your spine out through your mouth."
Mercer wiped his lip.
"Still violent. Just like your father."
Leo took a step forward, but I placed a hand on his chest.
He stopped.
But his eyes never left Mercer.
"Get out," Leo said.
Mercer bowed slightly.
"I’ll see you again, Arianna. Sooner than you think."
Then he walked away.
---
Leo turned to me.
His breathing was sharp.
"You okay?"
I nodded.
He stared at me.
"You shouldn’t have gone alone."
I raised my hand and touched my chest, then circled it once.
I can handle myself.
His jaw tightened.
"I know. But you don’t have to."
Then he walked out, leaving me in the silence.
But this time…
It didn’t feel empty.
It felt full.
---
Back in my room, I stared at the moonlight on the floor.
They were coming.
The ones who made me.
The ones who trained me.
And Leo…
He wasn’t just a shield anymore.
He was mine.
I didn’t know what that meant yet.
But I knew this:
If they wanted to take me…
They’d have to kill us both.
- Writer
