The knife was inches from my throat, its edge so sharp I could feel its promise of death against my skin.
I didn't breathe.
The assassin's grip was cold and unyielding, his gloved hand pressing me into the mattress with the force of certainty. Above me, his masked face was a merciless void.
"You shouldn't have run," he whispered.
I acted without the thought properly cohercing in my mind. Twisting, my body whipping, I raised my knee into his ribs as hard as possible. A grunt escaped his lips; his knife flashed in the air, then I was off the bed-my heart beating in a rhythm that was almost too loud for me to hear.
I hit the floor hard, scrambling to my feet just as he lunged again. His blade flashed, catching the dim light as it cut through empty space where my head had been a second ago.
Stay alive. Move. Don't stop.
The mantra looped in my mind as I reached for the nearest object-a small, heavy lamp. Without any hesitation, I swung it at his head.
It was a solid impact. He staggered but didn't fall.
I sprang for the door.
The handle slid under my fingers, wet with sweat. I hauled it open, the hall opening before me like a lifeline.
Behind me, the assassin snarled-a true, predatory sound.
"Damian!" I screamed.
Footfalls shook the hallway.
Damian appeared out of nowhere, his gun already clutched in his hand. His eyes had locked onto the masked intruder, fury carving his features into something terrifying.
"Down!" Damian yelled.
I hit the floor as the gunshot exploded.
The assassin jerked; the force of the bullet drove him back. Blood sprayed the wall, a dark splash of finality. He fell, the knife clattering to the ground beside him.
Silence fell.
I lay on the floor, shaking, my pulse a wild, erratic drumbeat.
"Elena," Damian's voice cut through the fog of terror.
I couldn't speak.
He dropped to his knees beside me, his hands on my shoulders in a tight grip that was both grounding and gentle. "Look at me. You're safe."
My eyes met his, and for a moment, I believed him.
---
Within minutes, the body was gone, dragged from the room by silent Damian, who left me to my thoughts and a horrifying undeniable truth.
Someone wanted me dead.
When Damian reappeared, his face had settled into a mask of tightly leashed emotion, but what brewed behind those eyes was unmistakable.
"Who was he?" I whispered hoarsely.
He didn't respond.
I got to my feet, took a quivering step forward, but my will was steadfast. "Damian. Who sent him?"
He met my gaze, and for a moment, I thought he might tell me. But then his eyes darkened, and he turned away.
"You need to leave this city."
"What?"
"It's not safe for you here."
Anger surged through me then, and for one fleeting instant, it overpowered what was left of the fear. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't understand the danger I'm in?"
"You don't," he said softly. "You have no idea how deep this goes."
"Then tell me!"
His jaw clamped down tight. "Antonio isn't your only enemy, Elena. There are bigger forces at play out there that you can't fight."
"I'm not running again."
"You don't have a choice."
"I always have a choice," I shot back.
His eyes flared with exasperation. "You'll die if you stay."
"Then let me die fighting."
The city was bathed in an auroral glow over which shadows had been spilled when Damian led us through backstreets and alleys, not a word exchanged between us that whole time.
He disappeared into a covered garage, the rumbling of clanging metal eclipsing what light filtered through until then.
"Where are we?"
"Safe."
"Define safe," I groused.
"Underground." He said this.
He led me through a maze of tunnels until we came out at a large steel door. He keyed in a code and it slid open with a hiss.
The room beyond was a command center-screens glowing with surveillance feeds, lines of weaponry stood on walls, and a table covered with maps and files.
"This is where we make our stand," Damian said.
"We?" I raised an eyebrow.
"You're not alone anymore."
A spark of hope flickered, and I smothered it quickly. Hope was dangerous.
"Who's after me?" I asked.
He didn't hesitate this time. "The Esposito family."
I swallowed hard. "Antonio's rivals."
"They think you're leverage," he said grimly. "And they're willing to kill you to weaken him."
"Leverage," I repeated bitterly. "That's all I've ever been."
Damian's face relaxed, for one swift instant, the mask of ice shattering. "You are more than that.
I looked away, unable to hold the intensity of his gaze. "Why are you really trying to help me?"
For a moment, he said nothing. "Because once, I failed you. I won't do it again."
---
The hours were confused in dressing. Damian was quick and functional as a soldier, each movement considered.
"Here," he said, handing me a knife.
I looked at it faintly, my stomach somersaulting. "I don't-"
"You will need it.
I took it, the cold steel a grim reminder of this new world.
Night fell. The tension thickened like a fog that developed during the night. Any creaking noise of the old building, each hint of wind, had suddenly assumed menace.
"Rest," Damian added without turning away from one screen. "Rest?" I echoed. Now that tonight happened? "You'll need strength.
I sat on the edge of the cot, my mind racing with thoughts of betrayal and vengeance.
"Damian," I whispered.
He didn't turn to me.
"Do you trust me?"
His response was a heartbeat too slow. "Always."
I lay back, my eyes open, watching the shadows dance across the ceiling.
Trust was a fragile thing.
---
The explosion shook the building, a wave of heat and flame that ripped through the walls.
I was tossed from the cot, my ears ringing as wreckage rained around me.
Damian was already running, his gun drawn as he yanked me to my feet. "We have to go. Now."
"Who—"
"They found us," he snarled.
Smoke filled the air as we ran, the heat of the fire licking at our heels. Shadows moved through the flames-figures with guns and knives, their eyes cold and deadly.
"Stay behind me," Damian ordered.
A bullet whizzed past, and I ducked, my heart slamming against my ribs.
"Damian-"
"I've got you," he said, and in his tone was a promise.
But promises were only words.
And in this world, words could kill.