Lila's pov
The door slammed against the wall. My heart pounded so hard I grabbed my chest. Ryder stepped in front of me at once. Damon moved to my side. Asher stood close to the broken door, jaw tight, eyes sharp.
A tall man stood in the doorway. His brown coat looked dusty, His face was pale. He stared right at me like he had come only for me.
Ryder growled, "You were not invited inside."
The man did not blink. His dark eyes moved from Ryder to Asher, then to Damon. He did not look scared, He did not look angry. He looked empty, Cold. His hands hung beside him, still as stone.
"I came for her," the man said. His voice was low. His eyes did not leave my face.
My legs shook. I pressed my back against the sofa. "Who are you?" I asked. My voice cracked. My hands trembled. He took a step forward. His shoes scraped the floor slowly. "My name does not matter," he said. "I came to take you home."
Asher moved fast. He blocked the man with one sharp step. "She does not go anywhere with you," he said. His smile was gone. His voice was cold now.
The man did not stop. He raised his hand. Not fast, Not slow, Just steady. Like he knew no one could stop him. Damon grabbed my arm gently and pulled me behind him. "Stay close," he said. His voice was calm. Too calm. Ryder's hand closed into a fist. "Speak now," he said. "Why are you here? Who sent you?"
The man finally blinked. Once, Slowly. Then he spoke again. "Her husband is looking for her." My breath caught. My stomach dropped. I felt dizzy.
Evelyn stood at the corner of the room. Her face went pale. Her fingers covered her mouth. She had followed us when the door opened, but she had stayed silent until now.
"Lila…" Evelyn whispered. "Did you tell Dominic where you went?"
I shook my head fast. "No. I left my phone. I left everything. He should not know anything."
The man looked at Evelyn. "He knows," he said. "He knows where she is. He knows she ran. He knows she came here. He sent me to bring her back."
I took a step back. My knees felt weak. "I am not going back," I said. My voice shook but I forced the words out. "I am not going back to him. Not ever."
The man's eyes finally changed. Just a small shift. Something cruel moved behind them. "Your choice does not matter," he said. "He owns you."
Asher pushed him. Hard. "No one owns her," Asher said. "Not him, Not you."
The man stumbled but did not fall. He straightened himself and looked back at me. "He wants you alive. But he did not say you must be unharmed," he said.
Fear rose in my throat. My hands felt cold. My skin prickled. I wanted to run but my legs felt locked. Ryder took one slow step forward. "You came here alone," Ryder said. "That was your first mistake."
The man's lips twitched. Almost like a smirk. "I did not come alone," he said. His eyes looked past Ryder, Past Asher, Past Damon. His gaze stopped behind me. I turned.
The window behind me was open. The thin curtain moved slightly. A cold breeze brushed my arm. My heart dropped. Someone was already inside the room.
I gasped and stepped back, bumping into Damon. Damon stared at the window, eyes sharp, body tense.
"Do you see him?" I asked.
"No," Damon said. "I hear him."
Ryder looked over his shoulder. "Where?" he asked.
Damon pointed slowly to the shadow behind the curtain. "There."
The curtain moved again. A hand appeared. Pale, Long fingers, Slow and smooth. Then a second hand, Then a face.
I froze. My breath stopped.
A young man stepped out from behind the curtain. His hair was black and messy. His skin looked grey, almost sickly. His eyes were light blue and cold. He stared at me the same way the first man did.
"I came for her too," the young man said softly. "Dominic said she must come home."
Asher hissed under his breath. "Two of you?" he said.
The young man tilted his head. "I am not alone either," he said. "More wait outside."
I grabbed Damon's arm. "We have to leave," I whispered.
"No," Damon said. "You stay with us. Do not move."
Evelyn stepped beside me, voice shaking. "Lila, this is bad," she whispered. "They are not normal men."
Ryder stepped forward, voice deep with anger. "You touched my door," he said. "You entered my room. You tried to touch what is mine to protect."
The first man lifted his chin. "We do not fear you," he said.
"You should," Ryder said.
The air grew tense. Thick, Heavy. I could feel something shift around the brothers. The room felt smaller, Colder. The shadows seemed longer. The young man took a step closer to me. "Come," he said softly. "We do not want to hurt you. But we will if you resist."
"I am not going with you," I said. My voice cracked. My whole body shook.
"You will," the young man said. "You have no power here."
Asher laughed. The sound was sharp and cold. "You came into the wrong room," he said. "Very wrong."
The first man reached into his coat. Damon stepped forward fast. "Do not move," Damon said, But the man kept going. He pulled out a small silver object.
Evelyn gasped. "Is that a chain?" she whispered.
The man nodded once. "It is for her," he said. "She will wear it when she returns."
I stepped back again. My back hit the wall. My chest tightened. "No," I whispered. "I am not going back."
"It is not your choice," the first man said.
Ryder moved first, Fast. Too fast for my eyes to follow.
One moment he was standing near me. The next, he slammed the first man against the wall with one powerful hand. The wall cracked. Dust fell from the ceiling, The man choked.
Asher lunged at the young man. Asher moved like fire. Fast. Bright. Dangerous. The young man dodged, but Asher grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. Damon held me close, blocking any path toward me. "Stay behind me," he said. "No matter what you see."
The first man coughed. Blood spilled from his mouth. But he still smiled. "Dominic warned us," he said. "He said you would fight."
"Dominic will not touch her," Ryder growled.
"He already has," the man said with a bloody grin. "And he will again."
Ryder's eyes darkened. His grip tightened. The wall cracked louder.
The young man tried to kick Asher, but Asher threw him hard onto the floor. The young man groaned, but laughter bubbled from his lips.
"You are too late," the young man said. "She is already marked." My breath caught. "Marked?" I whispered. "What does that mean?"
Both men turned their eyes to me at the same time. I felt cold, My heart pounded. "Tell me," I said. "Tell me now."
The young man grinned. "Look at your arm." I looked down.
My skin glowed faintly under the candlelight. A small red symbol I had never seen before burned just above my wrist. I gasped and stumbled back. "What is that?" I cried. "What is happening?"
Ryder spun to me, His eyes widened. Asher looked shocked. Damon stepped closer, staring hard at the mark.
"Do not touch it," Damon said sharply.
The young man laughed harder. "He marked her before he lost her," he said. "He marked her so no man can take her away."
"That is not possible," Ryder said. "We would have seen it."
"You did not look close enough," the young man whispered.
My body shook. Tears filled my eyes. "Get it off," I said. "Please. Please get it off."
The first man coughed again, smiling even as Ryder crushed him against the wall. "You cannot remove it," he said. "It is bound to her, It lives under her skin."
"No," I whispered. "No… no…"
Evelyn held my hand. Her grip was tight. "We will fix it," she said. "Do not cry. We will fix it." But the young man shook his head. "You can try," he said. "But the mark lives deep. It will pull her back, It will call her home."
Damon grabbed my other hand. "Do not listen to him," Damon said. "Stay with me. Look at me." I looked at him. His eyes were calm, steady, strong but fear still sat deep inside me. Asher pulled the young man up by his collar. "Tell us how to break it," Asher said. "Now."
The young man smiled.
"You cannot break it."
Silence fell.
It felt like the whole room froze.
My knees weakened. I leaned against Damon to stay standing. The young man spoke again, Soft, Slow and Cruel.
"You cannot break it," he said. "Because Dominic did not put it on her."
Ryder stiffened. "Then who did?"
The young man turned his eyes toward me. His smile widened.
"She did."
My heart froze. Evelyn gasped. "No… Lila… no…"
Ryder stepped closer. "Tell us the truth," Ryder said. "Tell us now."
The young man chuckled.
"She marked herself."