"Are you okay San"
Damien asked
Yeah I'm good...
I kept staring at Ethan's message glowing on the nightstand: "You'll pay for this".My hands shook as I set it down. Damien was behind me, his body warm and solid, and yet the words from Ethan sent a chill through me that ran all the way down to my toes.
He leaned back slightly, scanning the room like he could feel the tension in the air. "He won't come here," he said in a low, steady voice. There was a warning in it, a promise, and a possessive edge that made my stomach twist. I wanted to believe him, but I could still see Ethan standing in the street, his jaw tight with anger, and I knew he would come for me. He always came for what he wanted. Now, I wasn't his, not really.
Damien's fingers found mine, holding them gently but firmly. "You're safe here for now, Savannah. The world isn't going to pretend it isn't dangerous, but I'll make sure you're protected."
I shivered, not just from fear but from remembering his touch, the heat of his body, and the way it had made me feel alive in a way I hadn't thought possible. I had chosen him, and even though my mind screamed danger, my body felt the pull, a wild hunger I couldn't ignore.
A knock at the door made me freeze. Damien's jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened. "That's them," he said.
The door opened, and two men walked in. They moved like shadows, quiet but dangerous. Julian and Luca Vale. I remembered the pictures Damien had shown me. Twins, but so different. Julian had a devilish grin, full of reckless confidence. "Knox," he said, his voice teasing, "Damien told us you might need guidance." His grin was dangerous, and I felt a flutter of fear and curiosity all at once.
Luca came in behind him, silent and cold. His eyes were sharp and unreadable, scanning the room, stopping on me for just a moment like he could see every secret I was hiding.
Damien stepped aside, his smirk small but knowing. "These are your guardians. They'll make sure you are ready for what is coming."
I swallowed hard. Ready? The word made my chest tighten. The city outside stretched endlessly, full of unknown eyes and danger, and I felt like I was standing in the middle of a storm I didn't know I could survive.
Julian leaned closer, whispering in my ear, his grin sharp and teasing. "You have a dangerous man keeping you, and now us. Life just got more interesting."
Luca's voice was calm and deliberate. "Follow our instructions. One mistake and it won't be a lesson anymore."
I nodded, my pulse racing. I wasn't used to being protected or having people fight for me. I was used to running, but now, running was not an option. Damien's hand on my back kept me steady, and Julian and Luca moved like silent shadows, ready to stop anything dangerous before it reached me.
The night stretched before me like a long, dark road. Damien guided me toward the living room, his lips brushing my hair. "Stay close," he said softly. "There is nothing wrong with fear, but there is everything wrong with letting it control you."
I followed him, aware of every movement, every heartbeat, every tiny sound. My body still remembered what had happened hours ago, still hummed with heat, still ached from the way he had touched me. Julian suddenly appeared again, tossing a pair of leather gloves toward me. "Time for a lesson," he said. "You can't survive by being fragile. You will have to fight."
Fight? My muscles still trembled from earlier, my mind still spun with what had happened with Damien, but I wrapped my hands in the gloves and clenched them tight. My body shook, not just from fear but from a wild energy that mixed with my adrenaline.
Luca stepped beside me, quiet and serious. "We start slow. Learn control. Learn to see danger before it reaches you. If you can master this, you can survive anything."
The training room was cold, the walls reflecting the city lights, making everything feel sharper and more real. Julian moved fast and sharp, showing me how to throw punches, block attacks, and move with purpose. Luca corrected me silently, his gaze so intense it cut right through me, forcing me to focus in a way I had never known.
My muscles burned, sweat mixed with fear, excitement, and the memory of Damien still simmering through me. Every time I struck with precision, I felt a spark of power I had never felt before. Julian caught my hand afterward, holding it with warmth and challenge at the same time. "You're not just surviving. You are taking control."
Luca's serious eyes met mine. "Remember this moment. You will need it."
I wanted to believe them, and I had to. Damien's gaze from the doorway was dark and protective, but I could feel the world closing in. Danger was not waiting outside. It had come inside with us.
Suddenly, a sound from the balcony made all of us freeze. Shadows moved. Julian's hand closed over mine, steady and protective. "You are not alone," he said.
I nodded, my chest tightening with every heartbeat. Ethan's warning still hung over me. There were new players now, dangerous and unpredictable, each with their own rules.
Damien stepped closer, his voice low and vibrating in my chest. "Rest tonight. Tomorrow we prepare. Savannah, no one will take you without a fight." His hand brushed my cheek softly, possessively.
I barely noticed the city lights against the glass walls. My focus was only on the storm outside, the tension in the air, the hands that had guided me, and the man who had claimed me.
Then my phone buzzed. Another message from Ethan. You can run, but you cannot hide. He will not keep you safe.
My chest tightened. Fear and a strange thrill ran through me at the same time. Damien's hands found mine, holding me, grounding me. "We will deal with him," he said, calm but full of control. "You are not alone, not ever again."
But Ethan's words burned in my mind. Being with Damien was not going to make this easy. Danger was here, inside, and it was already at the door.
Julian and Luca stepped closer, taking positions by the balcony, alert and ready. The tension in the room thickened. The city stretched endlessly below, full of eyes and threats I could not see.
I sank to the edge of the bed, Damien beside me, the twins flanking the room like silent warriors. I realized the choice I had made meant fire, power, and danger. Every heartbeat in the room was full of tension, threat, and electricity, like something was about to happen.
And then the sound came. Not a knock, not a step. Something heavy and deliberate hit the door from the outside, slicing through the quiet. Something that was not entirely human was trying to get in.
Julian's hand went to the gun at his side. Luca moved faster than I could even think, sliding to the window, eyes scanning the night. Damien rose, every muscle coiled, watching me like I was his world.
My heart raced. Danger was real, here, and it was coming fast.
The penthouse, once my safe place, was now a battlefield, and I was trapped in the middle of it.
I pressed my back to Damien, feeling his strength and warmth. The twins were ready, weapons drawn, eyes sharp. Outside, shadows shifted, and I knew Ethan was moving somewhere out there, but there was something else too.
And in that moment, I understood that nothing would ever be safe again.
The door shook with a heavy blow from the outside, the sound rattling through the room.
My breath caught in my throat as everything held still.