Blood and Confessions
The mansion shook with chaos—gunshots rattled the walls, glass shattered, men shouted orders. But Lucian was calm in the storm, his grip firm around Elena's wrist as he dragged her behind a marble pillar for cover.
"Stay low," he ordered, his voice sharp but protective.
Elena's heart thundered in her chest. She had never seen him like this—eyes blazing, movements precise, death itself in his stride. Yet even as bullets flew, his arm remained like a shield in front of her, never letting danger touch her.
Masked men pushed deeper into the house, cutting through Lucian's guards. Whoever had sent them wasn't here for money or power. They wanted him broken.
One of the attackers shouted, "Hand over the girl, Lucian! The nanny!"
Elena froze. Her? They were after her?
Lucian's jaw tightened, his rage flaring. "Over my dead body," he growled, stepping into the open with his gun raised. Shots rang out—two men dropped instantly. He moved with deadly precision, every bullet finding its mark.
But there were too many. For every one he killed, another seemed to pour in. Elena grabbed a fallen pistol from the floor, her hands trembling, but determination burning in her eyes.
"I won't just hide!" she whispered fiercely, firing at one of the masked men approaching from behind. The shot was clumsy, but it hit.
Lucian turned, stunned for a second. "Elena—"
Before he could finish, an explosion rocked the east wing, fire lighting up the halls. The house shook, dust falling from the ceilings. Isabella screamed again, this time closer.
Lucian's men dragged the child toward the panic room, but Elena could see the conflict in Lucian's eyes. He couldn't protect everyone at once.
"Go!" Elena urged him, her voice steady despite the chaos. "Save Isabella—I can handle myself."
For the first time in years, Lucian felt fear—not for his empire, not for his life, but for the two people who had pierced his iron heart.
"Elena," he rasped, his hand gripping her face for just a second in the middle of the war zone, "don't you dare die on me."
Then he turned, charging into the flames to get to his daughter.