Chapter 39 Forged In Blood
The room is still ringing with the echo of my voice when we hear it.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Slow. Measured. Mocking.
The sound carries, amplified by the steel walls, drawing all of our eyes upward.
There, on the second-floor catwalk, under the flickering red emergency lights… Daniel.
Alive. Whole. Smiling like a goddamn king.
He’s in dark tactical gear, crisp and clean. His arms are folded over the railing. Behind him, two guards in heavy body armor stand motionless.
My mouth dries out.
Jace steps in front of me, shielding without touching. Tex lifts his weapon. Noah grabs his arm, whispering, “Not yet.”
Daniel’s smirk widens.
“Well, well, there she is,” he says, voice clearer now that it’s no longer filtered through static. “My little survivor. My pretty, poisonous girl.”
My spine stiffens.
Jace growls under his breath. “One more word and he dies.”
“No,” I whisper. “Not yet.”
Daniel leans forward on the railing like he’s settling in for a show. “Did you like my welcome party?” he asks. “Custom built. A lot of money. But you were always worth the investment, Izzy.”
Tex snarls, “Say her name again and I’ll rip your tongue out.”
Daniel’s gaze flicks toward him lazily. “The guard dog speaks.”
Jace’s voice is a blade. “You’re going to regret coming out of your hole.”
Daniel ignores him. His eyes — cold, calculating — stay on me.
“I watched you in that fight. You’ve grown teeth. Claws. But don’t let them lie to you, sweetheart. You’re still mine, where it counts. Still broken in the ways I made you.”
I take a step forward. “You’re right about one thing,” I say. “You made me.”
The boys tense. Jace’s hand hovers near his weapon.
“But not into what you think,” I go on. “You didn’t make me weak. You made me ready. For people like you.”
He laughs, but it’s tight now, clipped. “You think you can take me on?”
“Without a doubt.”
Behind me, I feel the others fall in beside me. Not in front. Not behind.
Beside.
Daniel straightens, the smile slipping.
“I should’ve killed you when I had the chance,” he mutters.
“You had plenty of chances,” I say. “And now? You’re out of time.”
His guards step forward slightly, but he lifts a hand to stop them.
“You want to prove you’re not afraid?” Daniel calls down. “Then come find me.”
He presses something at his wrist.
A door on the far side of the chamber hisses open, access to the upper levels.
And then he turns and walks away.
Like we’re not worth his time.
The moment the steel door hisses open, Jace is already moving. “Let’s go.”
Tex doesn’t wait for a second order; he’s on Daniel’s trail like a predator unleashed. Luca mutters something sharp under his breath and pulls his blade tighter in his grip. Noah grabs his tablet and runs a quick scan ahead, already plotting the quickest route.
I’m right behind them.
The second we pass through the threshold, the air shifts, less lab, more fortress. Metal catwalks, concrete stairwells, fluorescent lighting buzzing overhead. We move fast, boots slamming against steel, weapons drawn.
“He’s trying to draw us in,” Jace says through clenched teeth as we climb the stairs. “Trying to break formation, make us reckless.”
“It won’t work,” I bite out.
But my blood is pounding.
Because I want him.
Not just stopped. I want him at my feet.
“Don’t let him get under your skin”—I turn to look at the guys— “you let your emotions take over, we get sloppy, then mistakes happen.”
We hit the first landing, a long corridor with doors on either side, some open, some sealed shut. Red overhead lights pulse as the facility begins full lockdown. It doesn’t matter.
We push forward.
Noah points down the hall. “Motion detected. Northeast wing. He’s running.”
Jace nods. “Cut him off from the right.”
We split into a tactical V-formation, Luca and Noah peeling off to flank while Jace, Tex, and I charge straight through the middle.
Door after door blurs past me. I don’t stop. I don’t blink.
And then— A shadow darts across the far end of the hall.
Daniel.
He turns a corner.
Jace is already barking commands. “Tex, breach the side door. Isobel, with me!”
We pivot fast, crashing through an alternate hallway. The floors are slick with condensation. Pipes overhead groan like the building itself is trying to slow us down.
We don’t stop. A stairwell looms ahead, narrow, steep. Daniel’s boots clang above us.
“I’ve got visual!” Luca shouts through the comms. “He’s heading toward the training grounds.”
The door seals behind us with a clang of finality.
The night air is bitterly cold, slicing across sweat-slick skin.
Floodlights mounted along the rooftop perimeter cast long, stark shadows over the training grounds, a concrete jungle of raised platforms, narrow pillars, blocks and walls of all sizes spread across the rooftop like a deadly playground.
Tex gives a sharp nod and slips to the left, vanishing into the concrete maze. Luca charges down the center with Noah on his flank, seamlessly fading into the shadows. Jace taps my arm once, and we break right.
“Stay alert,” Jace mutters, sweeping his rifle left to right. “Watch for trip wires, traps, gas. Anything.”
My fingers tighten around my pistol. My heart’s still pounding from the sprint, but this— this is worse. This is the waiting.
“He knew we’d make it this far,” Luca’s voice filters through my earpiece. “He wants a show.”
Tex lets out a low growl. “Let’s not disappoint him.”
A speaker above crackles to life again.
No words. Just music. A slow, crackling waltz, something old and broken, warped by static. It drifts through the grounds like a taunt.
Jace’s voice is low. “He’s playing with us.”
“No,” I whisper. “He’s stalling.”
A flicker of movement. I spin, gun raised—Nothing.
But the hairs on the back of my neck stay standing.
We walk further. Luca and Noah rejoin us. We don’t speak.
My heart stops cold.
Daniel stands near the center, just beyond a towering stack of concrete blocks. His stance relaxed but ready. The lights paint his face in hard lines, making the grin on his lips look inhuman.
No armor. No weapons in hand.
Just a gun holstered at his side, and a sickening calm in his eyes.
He’s waiting for us. Just looking at me.
“I gave you everything, Isobel. A home. Food. Structure. You think Lucian would’ve protected you the way I did? You think he even cared you existed?”
“Don’t talk about him.”
“Why not?” He holds his hands out. “We’ve got nothing but time. Where is your sperm donor, anyway? Hiding in the base as usual, letting everyone else do the work for him?”
Daniel looks around. “He stole the love of my life away from me, but I got her and more back, didn’t I, baby?” Spit flies from his mouth like he’s gone feral.
“I’m not sure you’re capable of love.”
“I was the one who shaped you. You were nothing when I got you. Weak. Fragile.”
“I was five,” I snap.
That calm smile twitches, falters for half a breath.
“You beat me,” I say, the words sharp and sudden, like broken glass. “You starved me when I disobeyed. You sold me when you ran out of money. You made me bleed and then told me it was love.”
His face hardens. “You were supposed to die. But your mother wouldn’t stay compliant unless I had you as a bargaining chip. Nevertheless, you were strong enough to survive.”
“I was a child.” My voice rises. “And you, were a manipulative coward with a belt and a sick sense of power.”
The silence that follows is electric.
“I loved you, you know,” Daniel says after a long moment. “In my own way.”
“No,” I say, stepping forward. “You don’t get to call it that.”
He watches me carefully now. Measuring.
“You’re not afraid of me anymore,” he says.
“No.”
“You should be.”
“I’m not.”
An evil grin spreads across Daniel’s face. “Oh, Isobel.” He lets out a sharp whistle.
From the shadows—they step forward.
Men. Armed. Silent. Clad in dark tactical gear. Dozens. Emerging from side corridors, maintenance hatches, behind stacked crates. Surrounding us.
Then Tex.
Two men drag him forward. There’s a cut on his head. Blood running down the side of his face. Two men holding his arms tightly.
My stomach drops, my pulse quickening. Every sound dulls except the rush of blood in my ears.
My hands tighten into fists.
We’re boxed in.
“Oh, look what I found,” he says, a deranged laugh ringing through the air. “A little birdie told me this one’s important to you.”
I keep my face blank. What bird? I mentally shake off his words. He’s toying with me. He always does. I won’t give him my fear.
“You’re so full of shit.”
“Oh, Isobel.” He tsks. “You are so beautiful, so strong and determined,” he adds, voice almost tender. Then, low and gleeful, “Wonder if you’ll still have that same look when you take me in your mouth. You looked so good on my cock.”
Rage tears through me.
Jace raises his gun.
Daniel lifts his hand. “Ah-ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He holds a gun pointed at Tex.
I don’t flinch. I don’t look away from Daniel. “You’re pathetic.” I can’t help but grit my teeth. “You had to rape an eighteen-year-old girl.”
“Oh, but you wanted it.” He looks at the guys, taunting them. “She barely fought me. She just laid there and took it like a good girl.”
Tex fights against the two men holding him but he can’t break free.
I raise my weapon, eyes locked on Daniel.
“I wonder if you suck better cock now.” He licks his lips.
“You sick fuck! Keep running your mouth and see what happens,” Tex yells at him.
One of the guys punches his ribs. Tex huffs a breath. Daniel laughs.
“You’ve trained this one well.” Daniel glances at me then back to Tex.
I tear my eyes away from Tex. I can’t let the panic show on my face.
“So, what do you want?” I call out to him, trying to stall for time.
“Oh, Isobel, I want you to be mine. Mommy’s getting a bit old, and honestly, she’s not so lively nowadays.”