Damien stood frozen, his hand gripping the doorframe as if the force of his own revelation might knock him over. His voice had been quiet but firm, a weighty whisper. "Lucas is mine."
Clara didn't answer. Her silence was louder than any denial could have been, and it spoke volumes. She watched Damien's eyes darken with the weight of the truth.
Lucas, oblivious to the tension between the adults, toddled over to the corner where his crayons lay scattered across the floor. He hummed a tune to himself, happy in his little world, but Clara's heart thumped in her chest.
"You should leave," Clara said finally, her voice brittle.
Damien took a step forward, his presence filling the room. "You think I'm walking away from this? From him?" His voice rose, sharp and raw.
Clara bristled, but she kept her voice low. "You don't get to come here and make demands. You lost that right when you left, Damien."
"You didn't tell me," Damien fired back, his tone accusatory.
"I didn't owe you anything!" Clara's voice cracked, and she quickly glanced at Lucas to ensure he wasn't paying attention. "You made it clear where your priorities were. Do you have any idea what I went through? Raising him alone? Hiding?"
Damien's jaw tightened. "Hiding? From what?"
Clara clenched her fists, trying to rein in the storm of emotions threatening to spill over. She couldn't tell him everything. Not yet. Not about Lucas's abilities or the reason she'd fled in the first place.
"I kept him safe," she said simply, her voice softer now. "That's all that matters."
Damien's gaze softened for a moment, but only a moment. "You don't get to decide what matters, Clara. I deserve to know him."
"He doesn't need you," Clara snapped.
Damien stepped closer, his voice low and dangerous. "You think you can protect him from everything? Whatever you're hiding, Clara, it's only a matter of time before it finds you."
Her breath hitched. Damien didn't know, but his words cut too close to the truth.
Lucas interrupted the standoff with a laugh, holding up a drawing for Clara to see. "Look, Mommy! A dragon!"
Clara's heart sank as she saw the image—a crude but unmistakable drawing of a dragon breathing fire.
Damien glanced at it, his brow furrowing. "What's this?"
"Nothing," Clara said quickly, snatching the drawing from Lucas's hands. "Just a kid's imagination."
Damien wasn't convinced. He looked at Lucas, then back at Clara. "Why does it feel like there's more to this?"
"There isn't," Clara said firmly.
But Damien didn't miss the way her hands trembled as she folded the drawing.
"Lucas," he said, crouching to the boy's level. "Do you like dragons?"
Lucas beamed. "Uh-huh! I saw one once!"
Clara's stomach dropped. "Lucas—"
Damien's eyes snapped to Clara. "What is he talking about?"
She grabbed Lucas's hand, pulling him close. "Bedtime," she said abruptly, her voice trembling.
"It's not bedtime!" Lucas protested, but Clara scooped him up, cradling him against her chest.
"You've done enough," she said to Damien, her voice cold. "Leave."
"I'm not going anywhere," Damien said, his tone final.
Clara glared at him, but she didn't argue. Instead, she carried Lucas to his room, her mind racing.
Once Lucas was safely tucked in, she returned to the living room, where Damien stood, arms crossed.
"What's going on, Clara?" he demanded. "What aren't you telling me?"
She hesitated, her mind spinning for an answer that would satisfy him without revealing too much. "You don't understand."
"Then help me understand," Damien said, his voice softer now. "I'm trying here, Clara. But you're shutting me out."
Clara turned away, staring out the window at the storm raging outside. "It's not that simple."
"Try me."
She took a deep breath, her hands gripping the windowsill. "Lucas is... different."
Damien's brow furrowed. "Different how?"
Clara hesitated. Could she trust him with the truth? Would he even believe her?
Before she could answer, a loud crash shook the cabin. The lights flickered, then went out, plunging the room into darkness.
"What the—" Damien started, but Clara shushed him, her heart pounding.
She moved quickly, grabbing the flashlight from the counter. "Stay here," she whispered.
"Clara—"
"Just stay here," she hissed, her voice shaking.
She crept to the front door, her flashlight cutting through the darkness. The storm outside howled louder, the wind rattling the windows.
Another crash sounded, this one closer.
Clara's heart raced as she opened the door a crack, peering outside. The rain lashed against the porch, and the wind howled like a living thing.
But it wasn't the storm that made her blood run cold.
It was the shadowy figure standing at the edge of the yard, watching the cabin.
She slammed the door shut, her breathing ragged.
"Clara, what's going on?" Damien demanded, stepping closer.
"We have to leave," she said, her voice urgent.
"Why?"
"Because they've found us."
Damien's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
Clara didn't answer. She grabbed a bag from the closet, stuffing it with essentials.
"Clara, talk to me!" Damien grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him.
"I don't have time to explain," she said, yanking her arm free.
Damien stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "I'm not letting you leave until you tell me what's going on."
Clara glared at him, her fear boiling over into anger. "Fine. You want the truth?"
"Yes," Damien said, his voice steady.
She took a deep breath, her hands trembling. "Lucas isn't just different. He's... special. And there are people who would do anything to get their hands on him."
Damien's eyes darkened. "What do you mean, 'special'?"
Clara hesitated, then said the words she'd been dreading. "He has powers, Damien. Abilities that no one can explain. And if they find him, they'll take him away from me. From us."
For a moment, Damien said nothing. Then he shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "You expect me to believe that?"
"I don't care what you believe," Clara snapped. "It's the truth."
Another crash interrupted their argument, this one so loud it shook the cabin.
Clara grabbed Damien's arm, her eyes wide with fear. "We have to go. Now."
The cabin is no longer safe, and Clara's worst fear has come true—they've been found. But who is after Lucas, and how far will they go to take him?