The room was a trap of shadows and silence, the only sound Elena’s ragged breaths caught between the two men. Damien’s arm was like steel around her waist, his smirk pressing against her ear. Adrian stood across the room, gun raised, fury etched into every line of his face.

“Let her go,” Adrian snarled, his voice low, dangerous.

Damien chuckled. “Oh, I will… but not into your hands. You see, brother, she’s not a prize to be hidden in your cage. She deserves fire, not chains.”

His grip tightened, drawing a sharp gasp from Elena. Adrian’s eyes flicked to her, and for the briefest heartbeat she saw it—the mask of the monster cracking into something raw, desperate.

“Damien,” Adrian said again, his voice breaking into a growl. “If you touch her again, I swear—”

“You’ll kill me?” Damien sneered. “Then do it. Pull the trigger. End me right here. But tell me, brother—can you do that without risking her life?”

The challenge burned the air between them. Adrian’s finger twitched on the trigger. Elena could feel the heat of Damien’s chest behind her, his laughter vibrating through her bones.

And then everything shattered.

Adrian moved first—faster than she thought possible. The gunshot split the air, deafening, a flash of fire in the dark.

Damien cursed, jerking back as the bullet grazed his arm. Elena seized the moment, twisting from his grip, stumbling across the floor. Adrian’s arms caught her, pulling her behind him like a shield made of fury.

Blood dripped from Damien’s sleeve, but his grin never faltered. He stepped back toward the window, his eyes glittering with triumph.

“Protect her all you want, brother. The more you cling, the faster she’ll slip through your fingers. Because cages break. Always.”

With that, he vaulted through the shattered glass, disappearing into the rain-soaked night.

Adrian lowered the gun slowly, his chest heaving. His arm was iron around Elena, his hand trembling where it pressed against her waist.

She turned to him, her voice breaking. “Adrian—”

He looked at her then, really looked, and what she saw made her breath hitch. Not just fury. Not just obsession. But terror. Terror of losing her.

His lips brushed her temple as he whispered, hoarse and broken:

“I’ll never let him take you. Even if I have to chain you to me.”

And for the first time, Elena realized—Adrian’s promise wasn’t protection.

It was prophecy.