Hale's blood was still warm on my hands.
I stared at it, sticky and red, spreading like ink across my skin. His last words replayed over and over in my head, jagged whispers cutting through the chaos.
Don't trust…
But who? Adrian? Cassandra? Myself?
Adrian crouched beside me, his voice low but urgent. "Selena, we have to move."
I didn't look at him. Couldn't. My chest heaved, my vision swimming. "You knew." My voice cracked. "You knew something, and you didn't tell me."
His jaw tightened. "It wasn't the right time."
I laughed bitterly, my throat raw. "The man just died in my arms, and you're still deciding what's the right time?"
He reached out, but I jerked back. Blood smeared across my wrist where Hale had gripped me, his warning branded into my skin.
The Shadow's laughter still echoed through the house, a ghost in the walls.
Adrian's eyes locked on mine. Hard. Unyielding. "I will explain. But if we stay here, neither of us lives long enough to hear it."
Something in his tone—desperate, controlled, furious all at once—pierced my panic. My body trembled, but I nodded.
For now.
We left Hale's body behind.
Each step felt heavier, like his blood was dragging me down.
The halls were too quiet. Every shadow stretched too long.
"Where is he?" I whispered.
Adrian's gun swept the corners, his body tense. "Close. He wants you rattled."
"He's succeeding," I muttered, clutching my arms to stop the shaking.
We turned a corner—
And Cassandra was waiting.
Her gun hung loose at her side, her smile infuriatingly calm. "Poor Hale. Loyal to the end. Shame loyalty doesn't win games like this."
Rage surged hot in my chest. "You killed him."
She tilted her head. "Correction: I removed a piece that was already cracking. The Shadow doesn't tolerate cracks."
Her eyes flicked to Adrian. "But you? You're one giant fracture waiting to shatter."
Adrian's gun snapped up. "Say another word, Cassandra."
She laughed. "Still pretending you're her savior. Still hiding the truth." Her gaze landed on me. "Has he told you yet, Selena? About that night? About why the Shadow wants you so badly?"
My stomach twisted.
Adrian barked, "Don't."
But Cassandra's grin widened. "He hasn't. Of course he hasn't. Because if you knew, you'd never forgive him."
Her words slithered into me like poison. I wanted to shut them out. But part of me—an ugly, broken part—wanted to hear.
"Tell me," I demanded.
Adrian's eyes snapped to mine, betrayal flickering across his face. "Selena—"
"Tell me!"
Cassandra's laugh echoed down the hall, cruel and triumphant. "Oh, sweetheart. You'll find out. But not from me. I like to watch the knife twist slowly."
Then she vanished into the dark, leaving her words to fester.
Silence crushed us.
Adrian lowered his gun, his breath ragged. He looked at me, searching, pleading.
"Don't let her get in your head," he said.
"She already is," I whispered.
He reached for me, but I stepped back. Not far. Just enough.
"Selena—" His voice cracked. "I've spent years trying to protect you from this. Don't let her undo it in seconds."
I wanted to scream. To claw at him until the truth bled out. But instead, I whispered, "Then stop hiding."
His silence was answer enough.
We found another stairwell, leading us deeper into the house. The air grew colder, the shadows thicker.
Every step scraped my nerves raw.
Finally, we reached the basement. Adrian shoved open a heavy door, revealing a room lined with monitors. Surveillance feeds flickered—streets, buildings, faces I didn't recognize.
And one feed froze my breath.
Me.
On a busy street, laughing under an alias. In a hotel bar, leaning close to a mark. In a cheap motel, burning papers.
My life, documented.
The Shadow had been watching me for years.
My knees buckled. I gripped the table to stay upright. "He knew. Every move. Every lie."
Adrian's voice came from behind me, hoarse. "I kept these feeds. To track him. To stay ahead."
I spun on him, tears burning. "Or to keep track of me?"
His face twisted, pained. "Both."
The word cut deep.
Before I could respond, the monitors flickered.
Static.
Then—the Shadow's face filled the screens. Masked. Unreadable.
"Lovely, isn't it?" His voice was silk wrapped in blades. "Watching someone so closely you know their every breath. Every sin."
My heart slammed against my ribs.
"Selena," he purred. "You've played the game well. But you've forgotten something important."
"What?" My voice trembled.
His mask tilted. "That you are not the player. You are the prize."
The screens went black.
Silence suffocated the room.
My chest ached, my mind spiraling.
Prize. Not player.
Adrian's hand touched my arm. "Don't listen to him."
I pulled away, anger boiling over. "How can I not? He's right—I've been dancing to his tune without even knowing it!"
"You're stronger than this," Adrian snapped. His eyes blazed, raw. "I've seen it. You've survived everything he's thrown at you."
"But at what cost?" I shot back. "I don't even know who I am anymore. A con. A victim. A prize."
Tears blurred my vision.
Adrian stepped closer, his voice breaking. "You're Selena. The girl who refused to stay broken. The woman who makes me believe I can be more than a weapon."
My breath hitched. His words sank deep, dangerous, intoxicating.
And that was when I realized—
He wasn't just fighting for me.
He was fighting because of me.
Before I could answer, a crash echoed above us.
Cassandra's voice rang out, mocking. "Tick-tock, lovers. The Shadow's ready to claim what's his."
Adrian's jaw clenched. He raised his gun, his body coiled for battle.
But my mind was somewhere else.
Because Cassandra had said something—something that stuck like glass under my skin.
About that night… about why the Shadow wants you so badly.
I thought I'd buried that night forever. But if the Shadow wanted me because of it—
Then maybe I wasn't just his target.
Maybe I was his creation.