Chapter 44 – The Devil's Warning
Blood.
That's all Adrian could see.
The red stain spreading across Evelyn's side.
Her hand was shaking, trying to stop the bleeding. She looked at him, confused… scared. Her lips moved, but no words came.
Adrian froze for half a second.
Just half.
Then everything inside him went quiet.
He stood up slowly, eyes blank, face cold.
The rooftop team jumped down. Five figures in black armor. Guns ready. Moving like shadows. One of them raised a weapon toward Evelyn.
Adrian didn't speak.
He moved.
A knife slid from his sleeve and cut through the air before the man could even aim.
Straight into the throat.
The man gurgled. Dropped.
The others opened fire.
Adrian didn't flinch. He dashed forward, weaving through the bullets like a phantom. His blade found flesh again and again—silent, brutal, clean.
Three down.
The last one tried to run.
Adrian grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed his head into the wall.
Once.
Twice.
Crack.
Silence.
Adrian turned back to Evelyn. She was lying on the ground, her breathing uneven.
He knelt beside her, hands pressing on the wound. "Stay with me," he whispered.
She gave a weak smile. "You're scary when you're mad…"
Adrian didn't answer.
His eyes lifted, scanning the shadows.
Then he saw her.
A woman in a long black coat stood on a rooftop nearby. Pale skin, short silver hair, sniper rifle in hand. She stared straight at him.
And she smiled.
"You've grown soft," she said, her voice clear through the comms in his ear. "Caring for someone. That's your weakness, Adrian."
Adrian's jaw clenched. "Who are you?"
"Call me Alectra," she replied. "And remember this moment. Because next time, I won't miss."
The line cut.
She vanished.
Adrian looked down at Evelyn. She was still breathing, but barely.
He picked her up carefully. She leaned her head against his chest, eyes fluttering.
"I'm fine," she whispered.
"You're not," he said. "But you will be."
As he walked away from the blood and bodies, something inside him burned.
A new fire.
Not just rage.
Purpose.
They came for him through her.
And now…
He was going to burn the whole world to get them back.