His Bride,Their Prey

Chapter 7

A deafening gunshot shattered the silence.

BANG!

My eyes flew open.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

For a split second...

I didn't know where I was.

Then another shot echoed through the mansion.

BANG!

I gasped.

"What...?"

The room was dark.

The clock beside my bed read 7:34 A.M.

Another gunshot.

Closer this time.

BANG!

I threw the blanket aside and jumped out of bed.

The moment my feet touched the floor

A sharp pain shot through my bandaged foot.

"Ah!"

I hissed through gritted teeth.

Sophia had warned me not to put pressure on it.

I ignored the pain.

More gunfire erupted outside.

Men shouting.

Running footsteps.

The mansion...

Had come alive.

My breathing quickened.

"W-what's happening...?"

I rushed toward the bedroom door and yanked it open.

The hallway was chaos.

Servants hurried from one end to the other.

Guards sprinted past carrying assault rifles.

Someone shouted

"Secure the west entrance!"

Another voice answered

"They're inside the perimeter!"

My blood ran cold.

Inside?

Before I could process another word

Someone rounded the corner at full speed.

I collided straight into a hard chest.

A pair of strong arms instinctively caught me before I could fall.

I looked up.

Lucien.

He was no longer wearing the tailored suit from yesterday.

Instead...

He wore a fitted black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms.

A shoulder holster rested beneath his jacket.

A pistol sat securely at his side.

His usually neat hair was slightly messy.

Yet somehow...

He looked even more dangerous.

His hands remained firmly around my waist.

His icy blue eyes searched my face.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

"I-I..."

Another gunshot echoed through the mansion.

BANG!

I flinched.

"I heard gunshots."

"So?"

I stared at him.

"So?!"

"There are people shooting!"

Another burst of gunfire answered me.

My heart pounded.

"What if someone gets hurt?"

Lucien's expression never changed.

"They already have."

The words sent a chill through me.

"W-What?"

Before I could ask another question

A guard sprinted down the hallway.

"Mr. Moretti!"

Lucien looked up.

"Report."

"The west team is holding them back."

"But they've breached the outer wall."

Lucien nodded once.

"Good."

Good?

How was that good?

The guard continued.

"We're waiting for your orders."

Lucien released my waist.

"You should return to your room."

"What?"

"I'm not leaving while people are shooting outside!"

His eyes met mine.

"You're safer in your room."

Before I could argue

Marco rushed upstairs.

"Mr. Moretti."

"They've crossed the outer gate."

Lucien's expression hardened.

"How many?"

"Unknown."

"They're keeping their distance."

"Looks like they're testing our defenses."

Lucien nodded once.

"As expected."

Marco handed him another pistol.

Lucien checked the magazine before sliding it into place.

Then he turned to leave.

"W-wait!"

He paused.

I swallowed.

"...Be careful."

For a brief second...

Silence.

Without looking back, he replied,

"Worry about yourself first."

He disappeared down the hallway with Marco.

I stared after him.

Another gunshot echoed through the estate.

BANG!

I flinched.

My heart pounded.

Ignoring the pain in my foot, I hurried after them.

"No..."

"I need to know what's happening."

The moment I reached the staircase

My injured ankle gave out.

I lost my balance.

My hand slipped from the polished railing.

"No!"

My body lurched forward...

I crashed against the first few steps.

Pain exploded through my shoulder.

Another step.

Then another.

I couldn't stop myself.

By the time I reached the bottom...

My entire body ached.

A sharp cry escaped my lips.

For a moment...

Everything went silent.

The guards standing in the foyer froze.

Every pair of eyes turned toward me.

"...Miss Rossi?"

Sophia gasped.

"Oh, dear Lord!"

She hurried down the stairs as fast as she could.

My vision blurred.

"I..."

I tried to sit up.

A sharp pain shot through my ankle.

"...Ow..."

Sophia knelt beside me.

"Don't move."

"I'm fine..."

"No, you're not."

She gently supported my shoulders.

"Can you tell me where it hurts?"

"...Everywhere."

Before Sophia could say another word

Heavy footsteps echoed behind us.

Lucien.

He stopped at the foot of the staircase.

His gaze swept over me.

The bandage around my ankle had come loose.

Fresh blood stained the marble floor.

His jaw tightened.

Only for a second.

Then his expression became unreadable again.

Sophia looked up.

"Mr. Moretti, I think she may have injured her ankle again."

Lucien's eyes remained fixed on me.

"What happened?"

I looked away.

"...I slipped."

"You were told to stay in your room."

"I wanted to know what was happening."

"And now?"

He gestured toward my ankle.

"Was it worth it?"

I bit my lip.

I hated that he had a point.

"...No."

Without another word...

Lucien walked toward me.

"What are you doing?"

He ignored the question.

Before I could protest

He bent down and effortlessly lifted me into his arms again.

"Seriously?!"

"I can walk!"

"No."

"I don't need your help!"

"You've already proven otherwise."

I groaned.

"Must you carry me every five minutes?"

His answer came without hesitation.

"Only when you insist on making poor decisions."

"You..."

I pointed a finger at him.

"You're enjoying this."

"No."

"You're lying."

"I don't."

Marco cleared his throat, trying very hard not to smile.

Lucien shot him a brief glance.

The smile disappeared instantly.

"Marco."

"Yes, sir."

"Find out who dared test my estate tonight."

Marco's expression turned serious.

"It'll be done."

Lucien nodded once.

Then looked back at me.

His voice dropped lower.

Colder.

"And when you find them..."

Marco waited.

Lucien's blue eyes darkened.

"...leave one alive."

"...Sir?"

"I want to know who was foolish enough to knock on my door."

A chill ran down my spine.

There it was again.

That terrifying side of him.

Not loud.

Not emotional.

Just...

Cold.

As if deciding someone's fate was no different than deciding what to have for breakfast.

Marco bowed.

"Understood, Mr. Moretti."

Without another word, Lucien carried me back toward the staircase.

I stared up at him.

"...You're really scary."

He didn't even look down.

"You haven't seen scary yet."

Lucien carried me through the endless hallways as though I weighed nothing.

I folded my arms stubbornly.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking."

"You've demonstrated otherwise."

"I slipped."

"You fell down an entire staircase."

"...Details."

One of the guards walking a few steps behind us, pressed his lips together.

I was almost certain he was trying not to laugh.

Lucien pushed open a pair of large oak doors.

His study.

It was enormous.

Dark wooden shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, filled with leather-bound books and neatly arranged files.

A large mahogany desk stood near the fireplace.

Maps.

Documents.

Several computer monitors displaying security footage.

One wall was covered with surveillance screens showing every corner of the estate.

My eyes widened.

"You watch... all of this?"

Lucien gently set me down on a leather sofa.

"I own all of this."

Before I could answer

Another guard hurried inside.

"Mr. Moretti."

Lucien didn't even look at him.

"Report."

"The intruders have retreated."

"They never crossed the inner grounds."

Lucien nodded once.

"As expected."

"They only fired from outside the perimeter."

"They weren't trying to enter."

Lucien's fingers tapped lightly against the desk.

"They were counting."

The guard frowned.

"...Counting, sir?"

"Our response time."

"Our patrol routes."

"Our security positions."

He looked toward one of the surveillance monitors.

"They wanted information."

Not blood.

A chill crawled down my spine.

"They weren't attacking..."

I whispered.

"They were watching."

Lucien finally looked at me.

"Exactly."

A knock interrupted the silence.

Sophia entered, followed by an elderly man carrying a black medical bag.

She smiled gently.

"The doctor is here."

The elderly man adjusted his glasses before approaching me.

"Let's have a look at that ankle."

"I said I'm fine."

"You also said you could walk."

Lucien replied without looking away from the monitors.

"...That didn't end well."

I shot him a glare.

"Do you ever stop?"

"No."

The doctor carefully removed the bloodstained bandage.

I hissed through my teeth.

"Ouch..."

He examined my ankle before nodding.

"Fortunately..."

"Nothing appears to be broken."

"Just a bad sprain."

He cleaned the cuts on my feet.

The antiseptic burned like fire.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Sophia gently rested a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be over soon."

Meanwhile...

Lucien never once looked away from the surveillance screens.

Marco stood beside him.

"They escaped before our reinforcements reached the outer wall."

Lucien's jaw tightened.

"They knew exactly how long they had."

Marco nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"They're professionals."

Silence settled over the room.

Then Lucien spoke.

Quietly.

"Increase patrols."

"Double the night watch."

"No one enters or leaves this estate without my permission."

Marco nodded.

"It'll be done."

I watched him.

He wasn't frightened.

He wasn't angry.

He was...

Planning.

Like every move was another piece on a chessboard.

Then...

I realized something.

The stories people told about The Morettis...

They hadn't exaggerated.

If anything...

They hadn't told enough.