"Elena," he murmured so softly she almost didn't hear. "When I say run, you run...do you understand?" her throat constricted, but she managed a nod.
A beam drew nearer closer, then it passed dangerously close to their hiding place.
Adrian's hand brushed her steady grounding. She felt the warmth of him, the unspoken promise in that brief touch. Her fear and confusion, twisted with something else, something dangerously like trust.
The beam paused turned back. This time, it stopped fixed directly on their corner.
Adrian's body tensed.
"Run!" he hissed.
In a blur of motion, he pushed her toward the side exit as the sound of boots thundered after them. Elena stumbled, heart in her throat, but Adrian was at her side. His hand firm on her back, guiding her through the darkened hall.
They burst into the night air, the cool wind biting her skin. Behind them, the gallery door slammed open. Shouts followed.
Adrian didn't stop. His stride was long, purposeful, dragging her into the labyrinth of narrow Verona streets. Elena struggled to keep up, her lungs burning, but she clung to his pace, fueled by adrenaline and fear.
Finally, when the sounds of pursuit faded, Adrian slowed, pulling her into the dark shadows of a narrow alley.
He pressed her gently against the stone wall, one hand braced beside her head as he scanned the street, his breathing was steady controlled, though his eyes blazed with intensity. Elena, gasping for air, stared up at him, their faces were inches apart, the closeness sending a rush of heat through her despite the night's chill.
"What..." she swallowed hard.... "what just happened?"
Adrian turned his gaze to hers, storm-gray meeting the deep brown of her eyes. For a moment, neither spoke.. the world seemed to fall away, leaving only the two of them in the charged silence of the alley.
Finally, he said quietly, "The Beginning".
Elena's heart pounded, torn between fear and a pull she couldn't name. She should run away from him, this dangerous stranger who had dragged her into something, she didn't understand but she didn't move... couldn't. b
Because in his eyes she was not just danger, but something else, something that whispered of fate, of stories yet unwritten.
And in that moment, she knew her life would never be the same again.
The morning after felt unreal, Elena sat in her studio, brush poised above a half- finished canvas, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
Adrian.
The name pulsed in her mind like a forbidden song. She had barely slept— her dreams haunted by storm-gray eyes, by the press of his body against hers in the darkness, by the urgency in his voice when he told her to run. Every rational part of her screamed that she should forget him, that nothing good could come from strangers who arrived in the night with books, that others would kill for.
And yet...
She lowered her brush with a frustrated sigh. The canvas blurred before her, no colours, no strokes could capture the turmoil inside her chest.
"Elena?"
The familiar voice startled her, she turned to find Giulia, her best friend and assistant at the gallery, leaning against the studio door. A mischievous smile, curved her lips.
"You look like you haven't slept, don't tell me you were out again last night?"
Elena hesitated, heat rising in her cheeks. She couldn't tell Giulia the truth—not yet. "Something like that" she muttered.
Giulia smirked knowingly, "Mmmm...don't tell me it involves a man."
Elena opened her mouth, then shut it again. What would she even say? That a mysterious stranger had dragged her into an alley after being chased by men with flash lights? That she couldn't stop thinking about him even though she barely knew his name.
Giulia tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "You're blushing. Elena, you do have a secret."
"Giulia, its nothing," Elena protested, forcing a smile. "Just...a strange night. That's all."
Her friend raised a skeptical brow, but let it go for now.
By evening, Elena found herself drawn back to the gallery, despite every instinct, urging her to stay away. Something about the shadows of the previous night, clung to her whispering that, if she returned, she might find answers or perhaps simply hoped to see him again. The gallery was quiet, the paintings bathed in soft golden light. She walked slowly between them, her fingers brushing against cool marbles pedestals, her heart oddly restless.
"Elena."
She froze... the voice was unmistakable, turning she saw him.
Adrian stepped from the shadows as though he belonged there, his dark coat brushing against his knees, his expression unreadable, his presence filled the rooms steady and commanding, as though the air itself bent towards him.
Her heart lunched "You..."
He inclined his head slightly, as if acknowledging her disbelief, "I had to be sure you were unharmed,"
Elena's pulse raced
"Unharmed? You nearly got me killed last night!"
His jaw tightened, regret flickering in his eyes "And yet, you're here."
The retort died on her lips. He was right, she was here....despite fear, despite reason, some part of her had wanted to see him again.
"You owe me an answers," she said, finding her voice.
Adrian studied her for a long moment, than sighed softly, as though weary of a battle he could never win, he stepped closer... each movement deliberate. Elena held her ground, though her breath caught as he neared.
"What I owe you is.... the truth" he said quietly, "but the truth is dangerous...once you know it, there is no turning back."
Elaina swallowed hard, "then start with something small."
A faint smile tucked at his lips, humourless "Something small....." he glanced down at the book in his hand— the same leather bound volume, which the rose embossed on its cover. He ran a thumb over it, almost absently.
"This" he said, "this is why they want me dead. And now, because of last night, they will watch you too."
Elaina shivered "What is it?"
Adrian hesitated as though weighing whether to tell her "A key" he said at last. "To something hidden...something powerful, too powerful for the wrong hands".
"And you are what? it's guardian?" His eyes lifted to hers, storm-gray and unreadable "something like that".
The silence stretched, charged. Elena felt the weight of his gaze, the intensity of it. She should be terrified but instead she felt drawn in, like a moth to flame.
Finally, she said softly, "And what am I supposed to do? Hide? Pretend none of this is happening?"
Adrian's jaw clenched, he stepped closer until he was only a breath away. "No, you stay alive, that's all that matters."
Elena's breath caught, his nearness was intoxicating, overwhelming. The scent of him, the heat radiating from his body, the depth of his eyes, all of it, pulled her in.
She wanted to ask more, to demand the truth. But the words died as his gaze dropped briefly to her lips. For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to the space between them, the possibility of something reckless and inevitable.
And then— the crash of glass shattered the moment.
Elena jumped, spinning towards the sound. At the far end of the gallery, a window had splintered inward. Shadows moved against the glow of the street lamps outside.
Adrian swore under his breath. In an instant, his hand closed around herself, warm and firm "Stay with me."
Before she could respond, the intruders were inside 3 men and dark clothing.Their movements swift, practiced. One carried a blade that gleamed in dim light.
Elena's heart slammed against her ribs.
Adrian moved with startling speed, positioning himself between her and the attackers. His posture shifted, lethal and precisely, like a man who had been forged for violence.
The first man lunged. Adrian met him with a sharp, fluid motion, twisting his arm and sending the blade clattering across the marble floor. He shoved the attacker back, only to face the second.
Elena stumbled against a pedestals, fear clawing at her throat. She had never seen anyone move like Adrian—every strike was calculated, efficient, merciless. He wasn't just defending himself. He was protecting her.
The third man advanced on her directly. Elena froze, panic locking her limbs.
"Elena!" Adrian's voice cut through the chaos. "Duck!"
She dropped just as Adrian's hand shot past her, striking the man hard across the temple. The intruder collapsed on the floor with a thud.
Silence followed, heavy and breathless. Two of the men groaned, scrambling to retreat through the shatered window. The third lay unconscious at Adrian's feet.
Elena's chest heaved. She stared at him wide-eyed, adrenaline thrumming through her veins, "What— what are you?"
Adrian and turned to her, his face shadowed, his chest rising and falling with controlled breath, for a long moment he said nothing. Then quietly:
"Someone you shouldn't trust and yet...." his gaze softened "Someone who will not let you die."
Elena swallowed, her heart hammering.
Outside, sirens wailed in the distance, the 2 men who had fled were gone.The gallery lay in ruins, broken glass glittering like spilled stars across the marbles.
Adrian reached for her hand again, gentler this time, his touch sent a shiver down her spine "We can't stay here... they will come back."
Elena hesitated, torn between fear and the strange magnetic pull she felt toward him finally, she nodded.
"Where are we going?" she whispered.
Adrian's lips curved, faintly into something almost like a smile "Somewhere safe...at least for tonight."
And with that, he led her out into the night once more—two strangers bound by secrets, danger, and the first fragile threads of something neither of them yet dared to name.
The streets of Verona blurred past in streaks of gold and shadow as Adrian guided Elena through the night. His grip on her hand was firm but not harsh, protective rather than possessive. She barely had time to catch her breath, to ask where they were going, before he stopped at an unassuming wooden door tucked between two shuttered shops.
Adrian tapped twice in a peculiar rhythm. After a pause, the lock clicked open, and he ushered her inside.
Elena blinked as the door shut behind them, cutting off the city's noise. They stood in a dimly lit room, filled with the scent of old paper and ink books lined the walls from floor to ceiling, ancient tombs, leather bound manuscripts scrolls sealed with wax. It wasn't a home, it was a sanctuary of secrets. Adrian finally released her hand you are safe here for now.