Rhea's lungs stung as she lay hidden in the narrow rock crevice Adrian had pushed her into.
Her fingers trembled violently as she clutched the small signal scrambler he'd forced into her hand.
Above her, boots thundered across the ridge.
Shouts.
Orders.
Gunfire.
But nothing—nothing—was louder than Adrian's voice echoing in the storm.
A voice that sounded like a man prepared to bleed for her.
"Lucien!" he roared.
"Come face me yourself."
Rhea pressed a fist to her mouth, desperate to silence her sobs.
She could hear Lucien approaching—his steps calm, unhurried, like he already owned the outcome.
When he spoke, his voice carried the smooth power of someone accustomed to winning.
"I told you, Adrian," Lucien said.
"Every fight ends the same way. With you on your knees."
Adrian spat blood onto the stones.
A soldier must have struck him, but he didn't flinch.
"Not today."
Lucien gave a soft laugh.
"You're outnumbered. Injured. Cornered."
He paused.
"And she's not here to give you a reason to resist."
Adrian's eyes flashed—a lethal warning.
"She's gone," Adrian said. "Far away from you."
Lucien stepped closer.
"No one goes far from me."
Rhea curled tighter into the crevice, heart shattering.
The wind blew harder, carrying their words to her.
"You want me," Adrian growled.
"Let the girl go free."
Lucien tilted his head slightly, amused.
"Adrian… You still don't get it. She isn't leverage. She's the goal."
Rhea gasped before she could stop herself.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
Please… please don't let them hear me.
Lucien continued, voice almost gentle.
"The girl carries the blood of the First Sacrifice. The curse awakens through her. She is the vessel. The key. The beginning and the end."
Adrian stepped forward despite the rifles aimed at him.
"You touch her," he warned.
"I'll burn your entire network down."
Lucien smiled.
"And how will you do that—
when you're coming with me?"
Before Adrian could move—
CRACK!
A stun baton slammed into his side, electricity ripping through his body.
Rhea's scream caught in her throat as Adrian fell onto one knee, muscles spasming.
But he still didn't break.
He still didn't fall.
A soldier moved to strike again, but Lucien raised a hand.
"Enough. He's not to be damaged further. I want him conscious."
Adrian forced himself to stand—unsteady but defiant.
"You'll never touch her," he rasped.
Lucien's smile sharpened.
"I already have," he said softly.
"In ways you don't yet understand."
Adrian's eyes went cold—murderous—and he lunged.
"ADRIAN, NO!"
Rhea couldn't stop the whisper that escaped her.
But the wind swallowed her voice.
Adrian launched forward with brutal precision, taking down two soldiers before they could react—slamming one into the rock, disarming another.
For a brief moment—
He looked unstoppable.
Untamed.
Unbreakable.
Terrifying.
Lucien watched with mild interest as Adrian fought off three more attackers, even injured, even outnumbered.
But then—
A sharp hiss.
A dart flew through the air.
Rhea's breath froze.
"NO!"
The tranquilizer dart sank into the side of Adrian's neck.
He staggered.
Dropped to one knee.
His eyes widened, then narrowed, struggling to stay in the present.
Lucien stepped toward him.
"Still resisting…" he murmured.
"Always admirable. Always pointless."
Adrian tried to stand—his vision blurring—but soldiers seized his arms, forcing him down.
Rhea's entire body shook as she whispered his name into her hands.
"Adrian… Adrian…"
Lucien crouched in front of the fading man.
"Don't worry," he said softly.
"You'll see her again."
He smiled faintly.
"When I bring her to you myself."
Adrian's head jerked up—rage burning even through the drug.
"You… won't… touch her…"
Lucien almost looked impressed.
But the tranquilizer was too strong.
Adrian collapsed forward, held up only by the soldiers gripping him.
Unconscious.
Defeated—
but not broken.
Lucien stood and gave a cold nod.
"Secure him."
Metal cuffs clamped around Adrian's wrists—heavy, reinforced, and impossible to escape.
Another pair locked around his ankles.
A third restraint was cuffed around his neck.
Rhea's tears streamed silently as they dragged Adrian toward the helicopter like a captured beast.
He didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't fight.
He was gone.
Lucien looked back at the ridge one last time—
eyes scanning the darkness.
Rhea buried her face against the stone, praying he wouldn't look deeper.
Lucien's voice carried through the storm.
"Find the girl," he ordered.
"She's near."
Rhea's blood turned to ice.
"Bring her to me alive."
Soldiers spread out.
Flashlights flickered across the rocks.
They were coming.
Lucien boarded the helicopter.
Adrian's limp form was pulled in after him.
The helicopter lifted off—
carrying the only man who had ever fought for her.
Rhea pressed both hands to her mouth and cried silently as the aircraft vanished into the storm.
She had lost him.
But she wasn't ready to give up.
Not now.
Not ever.
She wiped her tears, pulled the scrambler tight to her chest, and whispered,
"Adrian… I'm coming for you."