His weakness

Chapter 8

The door had barely closed behind me when my legs gave out. I didn’t fall completely I caught myself against the wall but it was close. Too close. My breathing was uneven, my chest tight, my thoughts spinning so fast I couldn’t hold onto a single one. They won’t die. Lucian’s words echoed in my head, over and over again. It wasn’t reassurance. It wasn’t kindness. It was control. Everything with him was control. Even the way he chose his words, the way he gave just enough to keep me from breaking completely. I pushed myself upright and forced my legs to move. One step. Then another. The hallway stretched endlessly, but I barely noticed it this time. All I could think about was my family. They were looking for me and they hadn’t stopped. And now they weren’t alone. Someone else was involved. Someone Lucian didn’t recognize. Someone careful and very dangerous. My stomach twisted at the thought. Who would risk asking questions about me in a world like his? Who would push that far without knowing the consequences? Or worse someone who did know and didn’t care. I reached my room and shut the door behind me, pressing my back against it. Silence swallowed me instantly but it wasn’t peaceful It never was. I slid down slowly until I was sitting on the floor, my knees pulled to my chest, my mind racing. A man. Not police. Not official. Marco’s words replayed clearly. That meant something. It meant this wasn’t random. It meant whoever he was… he was choosing to get involved. Choosing to step into something dangerous. For me. I shook my head. That didn’t make sense. No one would do that. Not for me. Unless… My breath caught. No. It couldn’t be. There was no one in my life who had that kind of power. No one who could move like that, ask questions in the kind of places Marco was talking about. And yet the thought wouldn’t leave. Hours passed. Or maybe minutes. Time didn’t feel real anymore. Eventually, there was a knock but I didn’t respond. The door opened anyway. Marco stepped in. “You should eat,” he said. I didn’t move. “I’m not hungry.” He didn’t leave. “That wasn’t a suggestion.” I let out a shaky breath, forcing myself to stand. I hated that he was right. I hated that even something as simple as eating felt like part of surviving here He watched me carefully as I crossed the room. “You’re thinking too much,” he said and I gave him a humorless laugh. “Isn’t that all I can do?” “No,” he replied. “You can also listen.” I frowned slightly. “To what?” He held my gaze for a moment. “To what’s not being said.” My chest tightened. “Like what?” A pause. Then“He didn’t shut it down immediately.” I stilled. “What?” “Your family,” Marco said. “Anyone else would’ve been dealt with already.” My heart skipped. “So why not them?” He didn’t answer right away. “That’s the wrong question,” he said finally. “Then what’s the right one?” His expression didn’t change. “Why you?” Silence fell between us the heavy, uncomfortable and familiar kind of silence I looked away first. “I don’t know,” I whispered. “Neither does he,” Marco said. That made my head snap up. “What?” “And that’s what makes this dangerous,” he added. Before I could respond, his phone buzzed again. He checked it, and for the first time since I’d known him… something shifted in his expression. Not panic. Not fear. But alertness. Sharp. Focused. “Stay here,” he said. Then he left. Just like that. My stomach dropped. Something was happening. I could feel it. I moved toward the door before I could stop myself. I shouldn’t. I knew I shouldn’t. But I couldn’t just sit there. Not when it involved my family. Not when it involved me. I opened the door slowly, careful not to make a sound. The hallway was quieter than usual. Too quiet. I stepped out, my heart pounding, my senses sharper than ever. Voices echoed faintly from down the hall. I followed them. Each step felt like a risk. Like I was crossing a line I wouldn’t be able to come back from. But I kept going. The voices got clearer as I got closer. Marco. And Lucian. I stopped just before the corner, staying hidden. “We have a name,” Marco was saying. “Say it.” “Adrian Vale.” The name hit me like a shock. My breath caught. My heart stuttered. No. No, that wasn’t possible. “Background?” Lucian asked. “Clean on the surface,” Marco replied. “But that’s not real. No one moves like this without leaving something behind. He’s trained careful connected.” Silence. Then “Why her?” Lucian asked. My chest tightened. That question again. Always that question. “We’re still digging,” Marco said. “But there’s more.” A pause. Then “He knew where to start.” The air shifted. Even from where I stood, I felt it. “Explain,” Lucian said. “He didn’t search randomly,” Marco continued. “He went straight to her family. Straight to her routine. Like he already knew her.” My vision blurred slightly. My grip tightened against the wall. Adrian. I hadn’t heard that name in years. Not since No. It couldn’t be him. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t possible. And yet “Find out everything,” Lucian said, his voice colder now. “I want to know who he is, how he knows her, and why he thinks he can step into my territory.” Territory. The word sent a chill through me. I wasn’t just a person here. I was something else. Something claimed. “And if he doesn’t stop?” Marco asked. A pause. A dangerous one. Then “Then he’ll be removed.” My heart slammed against my ribs. No I couldn’t let that happen not if it was really him. Not if My foot shifted slightly. A small sound. But in this silence… it was enough. Everything stopped. “Come out,” Lucian said. My breath caught. There was no point hiding now. Slowly, I stepped into view. His eyes found me instantly. Sharp. Unforgiving. “How much did you hear?” he asked. I swallowed. “Enough.” His gaze darkened slightly. “You shouldn’t be here.” “Who is Adrian?” I asked instead. Silence filled the air Marco’s eyes flicked between us. Lucian didn’t answer right away. He just watched me. Studied me. “You tell me,” he said finally. My chest tightened. I shook my head. “I don’t know.” That wasn’t entirely a lie. But it wasn’t the truth either. “You reacted,” he said. “That wasn’t confusion.” I looked away. “It was just a name.” He stepped closer. “Don’t lie to me.” My heart pounded. “I’m not.” “You are,” he said calmly. And the worst part? He sounded certain. Because he was right. I just didn’t know how much he already knew. Or how much he was about to find out. “If he’s looking for me,” I said carefully, “maybe you should let him.” The words left my mouth before I could stop them. Marco stiffened slightly. Lucian didn’t. But something in his eyes shifted. “Explain,” he said. “If he finds me,” I continued, forcing the words out, “then this ends. My family stops searching. You don’t have a problem anymore.” Silence. Then Lucian smiled. Not warm. Not kind. Dangerous. “You think I’d let someone walk in here and take you?” he asked. My breath caught. “I’m not something to be taken,” I said. His gaze sharpened. “You already were.” The reminder hit hard. I clenched my fists. “That doesn’t make me yours.” The room went still. Completely still. Marco didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Lucian stepped closer. “Everything about this situation says otherwise,” he said quietly. My heart raced, but I didn’t back down. “Then maybe that’s the problem,” I whispered. For a moment, neither of us moved. Neither of us spoke. And then “Find him,” Lucian said to Marco, his voice cold again. “Before he finds us.” My stomach dropped. This wasn’t over. It was just beginning. And somehow I had the feeling Adrian Vale wasn’t just a stranger. He was a past I hadn’t been ready to face. A past that had just walked straight into Lucian’s world. And if those two collided There would be nothing left standing.