CHAPTER 8...COME HOME WITH ME
1833 Words
“My daughter.”
The words echoed through the underground station like a gunshot.
Amara couldn’t breathe.
Everything inside her froze as she stared at the man standing across from her.
Tall. Controlled. Powerful.
The same eyes from the flashes in her memory.
The same presence haunting the edges of her mind.
Her father.
Alive.
Lucian moved slightly in front of her, his body tense, gun still raised.
“Don’t,” he said coldly.
But the man barely acknowledged him.
His attention stayed fixed entirely on Amara.
Or Seraphina.
“My daughter,” he repeated softly. “Come home.”
The words hit something deep inside her.
Not comfort.
Not safety.
Something darker.
A pull she didn’t understand.
Amara swallowed hard.
“You’re supposed to be dead.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“That was the idea.”
Lucian’s jaw tightened.
“We’re leaving.”
Her father’s eyes finally shifted toward Lucian.
Whatever warmth had existed disappeared instantly.
“You’ve already taken enough from me.”
Lucian’s expression darkened.
“She’s not yours.”
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
The armed men surrounding the station subtly adjusted their weapons.
Amara’s pulse quickened.
Her father stepped forward slowly.
“You know,” he said calmly, “I spent years wondering what kind of man would eventually find her.”
Lucian didn’t lower the gun.
“And now?”
A pause.
Then—
“I’m disappointed.”
Lucian smiled faintly.
Cold. Dangerous.
“The feeling is mutual.”
The tension between them felt personal.
Old.
Deep enough to bleed.
“Stop,” Amara snapped.
Both men looked at her instantly.
She took a shaky breath.
“You’re really my father?”
“Yes.”
“And you let me believe you were dead?”
His expression softened slightly.
“It was the only way to protect you.”
The words hit her hard.
Because Lucian had said almost the exact same thing.
Her eyes flickered toward him instinctively.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
Something unreadable crossed his face before disappearing.
Her father noticed too.
Interesting.
“You trust him,” he said quietly.
Amara frowned immediately.
“I don’t.”
“Lie better.”
Lucian stepped slightly closer beside her.
Protective.
Instinctive.
And somehow that tiny movement felt intimate.
Dangerously intimate.
Her father’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“He touched you.”
Silence.
Lucian’s expression turned lethal instantly.
“Careful.”
But her father ignored him.
His gaze stayed locked on Amara.
“You let him.”
Heat climbed unexpectedly up her neck.
Anger followed immediately after.
“That’s none of your business.”
A faint flicker of approval crossed his face.
“There she is.”
Lucian moved closer again.
Like instinct had taken over completely.
Her father’s smile vanished.
“Step away from her.”
Lucian didn’t move.
“No.”
The single word carried certainty.
Something dangerous flickered in her father’s eyes.
“You’re forgetting who you’re talking to.”
“No,” Lucian said calmly. “I remember exactly who you are.”
Silence stretched.
Then—
Her father laughed softly.
“That almost sounded personal.”
Amara looked between them again.
The tension felt wrong.
Too familiar.
“What is going on between you two?”
Neither answered.
Which answered enough.
“You know each other.”
Lucian’s jaw flexed.
Her father spoke first.
“He used to work for me.”
The words slammed into her chest.
Amara turned sharply toward Lucian.
“What?”
Lucian didn’t look at her.
“Used to.”
Her father smiled faintly.
“He was one of my best.”
The station suddenly felt colder.
Amara stared at Lucian.
“You worked for him?”
“It was a long time ago.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Lucian finally looked at her.
And something in his expression shifted.
Not cold.
Not controlled.
Tired.
“I didn’t know who you were then.”
Her father chuckled softly.
“But you know now.”
Amara’s pulse raced.
Before she could speak again—
A loud metallic screech echoed through the station.
Everyone turned instantly.
One of the tunnel lights exploded.
Then another.
The station plunged into partial darkness.
Lucian reacted immediately.
“Sniper.”
Gunfire erupted.
Chaos exploded across the platform.
One of her father’s men dropped instantly.
Then another.
Shouting filled the station.
Her father’s expression darkened.
“We’ve been followed.”
Lucian grabbed Amara’s wrist hard.
“Get down.”
He pulled her behind a concrete pillar just as bullets tore through the air.
Her heart slammed violently against her ribs.
More shots rang out.
Closer this time.
Lucian crouched beside her, one arm braced protectively around her waist while firing with the other hand.
Precise.
Controlled.
Deadly.
Amara watched him in stunned silence.
This version of Lucian should have terrified her.
Instead—
It made her pulse race differently.
Another shot cracked dangerously close.
Lucian immediately pulled her tighter against him.
His body shielded hers completely.
“You okay?” he asked sharply.
Amara nodded breathlessly.
He looked her over quickly anyway.
Checking for blood.
For injuries.
His hand brushed her thigh briefly.
The contact sent heat through her instantly.
Lucian’s gaze flicked upward sharply.
He felt it too.
The realization hit both of them at the same time.
And for one dangerous second—
Everything slowed.
The gunfire.
The chaos.
The world.
His face was inches from hers.
Close enough for her to see the tension in his jaw.
The darkness in his eyes.
The way his breathing had changed.
Her pulse stumbled.
Then—
A bullet slammed into the pillar beside them.
Reality snapped back violently.
Lucian cursed under his breath and pulled her lower against him.
“Stay behind me.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because you keep trying to die.”
Despite everything, a breathless laugh escaped her.
Lucian looked down at her instantly.
And something in his expression softened.
Brief.
Real.
It scared her more than the bullets.
Across the station, her father’s men returned fire aggressively.
The mysterious man in black moved through the chaos calmly, shooting with frightening precision.
Amara looked toward him.
“Who is he?”
Lucian followed her gaze.
His expression hardened immediately.
“Someone you should stay away from.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“No,” he said quietly. “It’s survival.”
Her father suddenly appeared beside them.
Blood stained his sleeve, but he barely noticed.
“We need to move.”
Lucian didn’t lower the gun.
“Why are they attacking you?”
Her father’s expression darkened.
“Because someone sold information.”
His eyes shifted meaningfully toward the man in black.
Interesting.
The man smirked faintly.
“You always blame everyone except yourself.”
Gunfire exploded again before anyone could respond.
This time much closer.
The attackers were advancing.
Lucian looked toward the far tunnel exit.
“There.”
Her father nodded once.
“Move.”
For one strange moment—
All three men worked together.
Lucian kept Amara close against his side as they moved through the station under heavy gunfire.
Her father’s men covered them.
Bodies dropped around them.
The smell of smoke and blood thickened the air.
Amara’s heartbeat refused to slow.
Not because of the danger.
Because of Lucian.
Because of the way his hand tightened around her waist whenever bullets came close.
Because every time she looked at him—
He was already looking at her.
Another explosion rocked the station.
Amara stumbled.
Lucian caught her immediately, pulling her fully against his chest.
“You need to stay focused.”
His voice dropped lower this time.
More personal.
“Can you do that for me?”
Her breath caught.
For me.
Not survive.
Not run.
For him.
The words settled somewhere dangerously soft inside her.
“Yes,” she whispered.
His eyes held hers for one second too long.
Then he released her.
Barely.
They reached the far tunnel entrance.
Darkness swallowed the narrow passage ahead.
Her father turned toward her suddenly.
“Seraphina.”
The name still felt strange against her skin.
“You come with me now.”
Lucian’s body stiffened instantly beside her.
“No.”
Her father’s eyes darkened.
“This isn’t your decision.”
“It’s hers.”
Both men looked at Amara.
Waiting.
The pressure hit instantly.
Heavy.
Possessive.
Different kinds of control pulling her in opposite directions.
Her father stepped closer.
“They will keep hunting you until you come home.”
Lucian’s hand tightened subtly against her back.
“Going with him won’t save you.”
“And staying with you will?” her father asked coldly.
Lucian’s gaze never left Amara.
“Yes.”
The certainty in his voice shook her.
Her father noticed it too.
His expression hardened.
“You’re emotionally compromised.”
Lucian smiled faintly.
“You noticed.”
The tension became unbearable.
Amara stepped back slightly.
“I’m not choosing either of you.”
Silence.
Then her father spoke quietly.
“You already have.”
Her chest tightened.
Because part of her knew—
He wasn’t talking about survival.
Lucian looked at her then.
Really looked at her.
And for the first time since she met him—
His control slipped completely.
Enough for her to see it.
The feeling beneath everything else.
The thing he kept trying not to say.
It hit her hard.
Because she felt it too.
A loud explosion suddenly ripped through the station behind them.
The tunnel shook violently.
Concrete collapsed across the entrance.
Separating them from the others instantly.
Amara gasped.
Several armed men disappeared behind the debris.
Dust filled the air.
Her father grabbed her arm quickly.
“We go now.”
Lucian immediately grabbed her other arm.
“No.”
The tension snapped tight again.
Amara stood trapped between them.
Both refusing to let go.
Her father’s voice lowered dangerously.
“You don’t understand what she is.”
Lucian’s gaze darkened.
“I understand better than you think.”
A pause.
Then her father smiled faintly.
Cold.
Knowing.
“And that’s exactly the problem.”
Before Lucian could react—
Her father pulled a gun.
And aimed it directly at him.
Amara’s breath caught.
Everything froze.
Lucian didn’t even blink.
“Dad, stop!”
Her father’s eyes never left Lucian.
“You have no idea what this man has done.”
Lucian’s expression remained calm.
Deadly calm.
“Careful.”
“No,” her father said quietly. “You should have stayed away from her.”
Amara’s pulse raced violently.
“What is he talking about?”
Neither man answered.
And suddenly—
That terrified her more than the gun.
Because whatever secret existed between them—
It was worse than she imagined.
Her father’s finger tightened slowly against the trigger.
And Lucian finally spoke.
Quietly.
Darkly.
“She’ll hate you when she remembers the truth.”
Silence.
Then her father smiled.
“No,” he said softly.
“She’ll hate you.”
- Writer
