Chapter Twenty-Seven
Annika
He appeared from the shadows, like the specter from Lucas’ past that he was. His presence was commanding, his eyes sharp with anger, and the resemblance to Lucas was striking, though his features were harder, colder.
I tensed as Lucas stiffened beside me. “Damien,” he said, his voice low and laced with venom.
“Lucas,” he responded, his tone deceptively calm. “You’ve certainly made quite the mess, haven’t you?”
Lucas stepped forward, putting himself between his uncle and the rest of us. I could feel the anger radiating off him, but his voice was steady.
“I won’t let you hurt anyone else,” he snarled.
“You’ve always been reckless, Lucas, but this… siding with humans, aligning yourself with these... rebels? You’ve lost your way.”
I bristled, but Lucas raised a hand, a silent plea for me to stay out of it.
“My way is my own,” Lucas shot back.
Damien’s smirk vanished, replaced by a scowl. “You’re a fool, boy. Do you think these… these people will stand by you when it matters? You belong with us, your family. Your kind.”
“Shifters are not my kind,” Lucas said, his voice sharp. “And I’ll die before I join you.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Careful with your words. I’m offering you a chance to come back, to fix this mess you’ve made. Stand with us, Lucas. Leave these... distractions behind. You know the alternative.”
I held my breath, my fists clenched at my sides. Lucas was silent for a moment, his head bowed as if considering the offer.
Then he looked up, his gaze burning with fury. “You disgust me,” he said, his voice dripping with the bile of contempt. “You think I’d betray them? Betray her? You don’t know me at all.”
Before Damien could respond, Lucas stepped forward and spat in his face. The act was so defiant, so visceral, that it left me stunned.
Damien wiped his face slowly, his movements controlled, but the rage in his eyes was unmistakable. “You’ve made your choice,” he said, his voice quiet but deadly. “Don’t think for a second that I won’t make you regret it.”
“Do your worst,” Lucas growled, his stance unwavering.
Damien’s gaze flicked to me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. “You’ll regret it too,” he said, his tone almost mocking. “This… girl you’re so fond of. Do you think she’ll survive what’s coming? What we have in store for her?”
Lucas moved so fast it took me a moment to realize he’d drawn his blade and had it pressed to Damien’s throat. “Don’t. You. Dare.”
Damien didn’t flinch. Instead, he smiled, but it was a cold, empty thing that made my stomach turn.
“Such fire, Lucas. Let’s see how long it burns.”
With a snap of his fingers, he stepped back into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as he’d come. Just when we thought that he had run away, chaos erupted like a storm.
One moment, Damien was stepping back into the shadows, and the next, he lunged forward, striking at Lucas with blinding speed. His blade clashed against Lucas’, sparks flying between them as the sharp clang of steel filled the air.
I barely had time to process what was happening before the shifters emerged, snarling and growling.
“Take them all!” Damien barked like the traitor that he was.
The first shifter came at me, fangs bared, claws extended. My heart pounded, but I didn’t hesitate. Raising the blade Lucas had insisted I carry, I sidestepped, striking it across the ribs. It yelped and fell back, but another was already taking its place.
My movements were instinctual, driven by fear and adrenaline. I swung, parried, dodged. It was a skill I didn’t even know I had. My arms ached from the effort, but I couldn’t let myself falter. I wouldn’t be a liability.
Between strikes, my gaze flickered to Lucas. He and Damien were locked in a brutal dance of blows, their movements almost too fast to follow. Lucas was skilled, every move deliberate and powerful, but Damien... Damien was relentless.
“Is this the best you’ve got?” Damien taunted, slashing forward with a wicked grin. Lucas blocked the attack, as their blades locked.
“I’ll make sure you regret every word,” Lucas growled, shoving Damien.
My attention snapped back to the shifter in front of me. Fortunately, I noticed its claws swiping toward my face. I ducked just in time, slashing upward and catching it across the shoulder. It roared in pain but didn’t back down.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lena and Callum fighting bravely, taking on shifters twice their size. Another shifter came at me, and I spun, slicing low and forcing it back. My breaths came in sharp gasps, and my muscles were screaming with effort.
Lucas let out a yell, drawing my eyes to him again. Damien had him pinned, their blades crossed between them. Lucas’ face was twisted in fury. I could see his teeth bared as he pushed back with all his strength.
“Lucas!” I shouted, stepping toward him instinctively, but a shifter cut me off, snapping its jaws dangerously close to my arm.
I couldn’t get to him. I couldn’t do anything but fight and watch as Damien pressed Lucas harder and harder. My chest tightened with fear.
“Stay back!” Lucas shouted, his voice raw as he glanced at me. His momentary distraction cost him, and Damien’s blade grazed his side, drawing blood.
“No!” I cried, but Lucas recovered quickly.
He continued to fight with renewed strength, but then it all happened in the blink of an eye. Time slowed down, as if to make the scene before me even more painful. Damien feinted to Lucas’ left, and as Lucas turned to block, Damien’s blade came from the other direction, slashing deep across Lucas’ side.
“Lucas!” I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat as he staggered backward, and as blood was already staining his shirt and dripping to the floor.
He dropped to one knee, clutching his side. He was breathing heavily. His sword wavered in his grip, and for the first time, I saw something in his eyes that terrified me: doubt.
Damien smirked, the note of triumph in his voice unmistakable. “You were always too soft, my dear nephew,” he sneered, stepping closer. “Also, too idealistic. And now look at you. Bleeding out like the weakling you are.”
“No,” I whispered, my voice trembling.
The battle raged on around us, but everything else faded to the background. It was just Lucas and Damien, and I was frozen in place, torn between fear and the desperate need to help him.
Damien raised his blade, preparing for the final blow. My heart stopped. All I could do was watch in frozen horror.
“Move, Annika,” I whispered to myself, knowing that I had to move, I had to help him somehow. I couldn’t allow this monster to kill him.
Move, dammit! I screamed inside my mind, my thoughts exploding with impotent rage as I pushed myself beyond the limits of what I thought was possible. I couldn’t give up. I knew that Lucas would never give up on me.
Then finally, my legs finally started to obey. I took a step forward, gripping the hilt of my weapon so tightly that my knuckles ached.
But even before I could reach them, Damien spoke again, his words dripping with sheer venom.
“This is where it ends for you, Lucas. And your little rebellion? I’ll see to it personally that it all burns in this fiery pit of hell.”
Lucas gritted his teeth, his face pale but his eyes blazing with defiance. “You’ll... have to kill me first,” he ground out.
I couldn't breathe. I couldn’t let this happen.
“Get away from him!” I screamed, lunging forward with all the strength I could muster. It wasn’t just fear inside of me, it was the strength of love that I had been keeping a secret all this time. Now, I had to set it free, because it was the only thing standing between Lucas and certain death.
I used the entire strength of my body to push Damien away from Lucas, although I knew that I was only saving him temporarily. Damien looked at me with incredulity in his wicked eyes.
“You!” he snarled. “I should have killed you when I had the chance!”
His body moved with the speed of light, lunging toward me. I could barely follow what was happening. I tried to shield myself from him, but I knew that I had signed my death sentence. I did it for Lucas. And I would do it all over again.
I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
Then, I heard it. That horrible, wet sound, one that echoed in my ears and completely drowned out the chaos around us.
When I opened my eyes, I could see Lucas standing in front of me, shielding me from Damien’s blade.
For a moment, the world stopped.
“No!” The scream tore from my lungs, raw and desperate, as Lucas staggered. His knees gave way, and he fell against me, his blood seeping into my clothes.
I barely noticed Callum and the others surging forward, wrestling Damien to the ground. Shouts and snarls echoed through the room, but they were silent noise. My entire world had narrowed to the man in my arms, his labored breathing shallow and uneven.
“Lucas,” I whispered, lowering us both to the ground. His head lolled back into my lap, and I frantically brushed his hair away from his face, my hands trembling. “Lucas, look at me. Stay with me. Please.”
His eyes fluttered open, the golden hues dimmed and unfocused. A faint, pained smile curved his lips, blood staining the corner of his mouth. “You’re... safe,” he rasped, the words barely audible.
“Safe?” I choked out, tears spilling down my cheeks. “You call this safe? What were you thinking?”
He coughed, his whole body trembling. “Couldn’t... let him... hurt you,” he managed, his voice cracking.
I pressed my hands to the wound on his chest, trying to stop the relentless flow of blood. It was everywhere, sticky and warm, coating my fingers.
“You’re not allowed to do this,” I said, my voice trembling with anger and fear. “You’re not allowed to throw your life away for me, Lucas. Do you hear me?”
He raised a shaking hand, his fingers brushing against my cheek. “Annika,” he murmured, and my name on his lips felt like both a prayer and a goodbye.
“No,” I snapped, shaking my head fiercely. “Don’t you dare say it like that. You’re going to be fine. You’re going to make it, Lucas. Do you hear me?”
His eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, something flickered there, a raw, consuming intensity that made my breath hitch.
“I’d... do it again,” he whispered.
The words hit me like a blow, and a sob broke free from my throat. “Why?” I demanded, even as fresh tears blurred my vision. “Why would you—”
“Because you matter,” he interrupted, his voice barely more than a breath. “More than anything else. You always have.”
“You stupid son of a bitch!” I snarled at him, showering his face with kisses. “I love you, I love you…. I love you, dammit!”
I wasn’t sure if he’d heard me. His eyes were closed, and that tingling feeling was rushing through me, like a tidal wave, consuming my entire being until it exploded in my fingers, which were now resting on Lucas’s chest.