Aria's POV
I wake up gasping, my body drenched in sweat.
I'm lying on cold stone—still on the bridge. Dawn light filters through the mist rising from the water below.
The contract runes on my arms glow faintly, pulsing with a rhythm that matches my heartbeat.
It wasn't a dream.
"Good morning, little Chen."
I jolt upright. Azrael sits on the bridge railing, looking completely relaxed. In the morning light, he looks almost human—if humans could be devastatingly beautiful and radiate danger like heat from fire.
"You collapsed after the binding," he says. "Quite dramatic. I debated leaving you here for the morning joggers to find, but that seemed rude."
"How long was I out?" My voice is hoarse.
"Three hours. Your body needed time to adjust to my power flowing through it." He hops down from the railing with inhuman grace. "How do you feel?"
I take stock. My body feels... different. Stronger. Like electricity is running just under my skin. When I focus, I can sense things I never could before—spirits moving through the city, energy patterns in the air, and something dark and vast connected to my soul.
Azrael. I can feel him in my mind.
"This is so weird," I mutter.
"You'll get used to it." He offers me his hand. "Now, shall we pay your family a visit? I'm curious to meet the people who abandoned you."
My stomach twists. "I don't want to see them."
"You need clothes, money, and answers about who sabotaged you." His crimson eyes gleam. "Besides, I want to see their faces when they realize what you've become."
He's right. I can't hide forever. And I need to know the truth about Celeste.
"Fine," I say, taking his hand.
The moment our skin touches, power surges. Azrael pulls me to my feet effortlessly.
"Also," he adds casually, "you should know that our bond makes you immortal as long as I exist. You'll age much slower now. Heal faster. Become harder to kill."
"What?"
"Surprise!" He grins. "Demon King benefits. You're welcome."
Before I can process this, he snaps his fingers. Shadows wrap around us like a cocoon.
The world blurs.
When the shadows fade, we're standing outside the Chen family mansion.
My home. Except it doesn't feel like home anymore.
"How did you—"
"Teleportation. Another perk." Azrael's form shimmers, and suddenly he looks like a normal person—his eyes dark instead of crimson, his power suppressed. "I can't maintain this form long in daylight, so make it quick."
I take a deep breath and walk to the front door.
It's locked.
I try my key. It doesn't work.
They changed the locks. Already.
Anger flares hot in my chest. I pound on the door. "Dad! Open up!"
Nothing.
I pound harder. "I know you're in there! We need to talk!"
The door swings open. But it's not my father.
Celeste stands there in silk pajamas, looking fresh and beautiful. She's holding a cup of coffee—my favorite mug, the one Mom gave me before she died.
"Oh, Aria." She sighs like I'm a stray dog. "Didn't Dad tell you? This isn't your home anymore."
"I need to talk to him."
"He doesn't want to see you. You embarrassed the family. Honestly, you should be grateful he gave you a week to clear out your stuff." She sips from MY mug. "Though I suppose you couldn't wait. Did you sleep on the street?"
My hands clench. "You did something at the ceremony. I know you did."
"Me?" Celeste's eyes widen innocently. "I did nothing but support my sister. It's not my fault the spirits rejected you."
"Liar."
"Prove it." Her smile turns cruel. "Oh wait—you can't. Because you're powerless. No spirit. No family. No future."
"Celeste, who are you talking to?" My father's voice comes from inside.
Marcus appears behind her, still in his robe. When he sees me, his face hardens.
"Aria. What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you. Please, Dad. Something's wrong. The ceremony was sabotaged—"
"Enough!" His voice cracks like a whip. "I don't want to hear excuses. You failed. You brought shame to the Chen name."
"But I'm your daughter!"
"You WERE my daughter. Now you're a disappointment I can't afford." He won't even look at me. "You have until tomorrow to collect your belongings. After that, security will remove you."
Each word is a punch to the gut.
"Marcus, please—"
"It's Mr. Chen to you now." He starts to close the door.
"Wait!" I grab the doorframe. "At least tell me why. Why are you doing this?"
He finally looks at me, and his eyes are cold. Empty.
"Because in our world, power is everything. And you have none." He removes my hand from the door. "Celeste is my heir now. She has a strong spirit and a bright future with the Kane family. You're dead weight."
He slams the door in my face.
I stand there, frozen, staring at the wood.
Behind me, Azrael's presence radiates barely contained rage.
"Say the word," he murmurs, "and I'll burn this entire mansion to ash with them inside."
Part of me wants to say yes.
But I shake my head. "Not yet."
"Your mercy is frustrating."
"It's not mercy. I just want them to suffer longer than that." My voice sounds cold even to my own ears.
I turn away from the door—from my father, from my former life—and walk down the driveway.
My phone buzzes. A text from the bank: All accounts associated with Marcus Chen have been frozen by primary account holder. You have $47.32 remaining.
Forty-seven dollars.
That's all I have left.
I try my credit cards at an ATM. All declined. All cancelled.
"Well," I say, fighting back tears, "at least things can't get worse."
My stomach suddenly lurches. I barely make it to a nearby bush before I throw up.
Azrael watches with mild concern. "Are you ill? The bond shouldn't cause that reaction."
"I don't know. I feel..." I wipe my mouth, and suddenly a horrible thought occurs to me.
When was my last period?
I've been so stressed about the ceremony that I didn't notice, but...
Oh no.
Oh no no no.
"What?" Azrael asks, reading my expression.
"What day is it?"
"June fifteenth."
My period was supposed to start June first. Two weeks ago.
I'm never late. Ever.
And Xavier and I... the night before the ceremony...
"I need a pregnancy test," I whisper.
Azrael's eyes widen—the first time I've seen him genuinely surprised. "You think you're pregnant?"
"Maybe. I don't know. Xavier and I were together the night before everything fell apart." My hands shake. "If I am... oh god, what do I do?"
"First, we confirm it." Azrael's voice is surprisingly gentle. "Then we make a plan."
He teleports us to a pharmacy. I use my last forty-seven dollars to buy a pregnancy test, a water bottle, and a candy bar because I'm starving.
The pharmacy bathroom is tiny and dirty, but I don't care.
I take the test.
And wait.
Three minutes feels like three hours.
Azrael's presence pulses in my mind—worried, which is weird because demons aren't supposed to care about things like this.
"Can you feel what I'm feeling right now?" I ask him mentally.
"Yes. Terror, hope, and an odd craving for chocolate. Very confusing."
Despite everything, I almost laugh.
The timer on my phone goes off.
I look at the test.
Two lines.
Positive.
I'm pregnant.
I'm carrying Xavier Kane's baby.
The same Xavier who threw money at me and told me to "get rid of it" before he even knew it existed.
I slide down the bathroom wall, holding the test in shaking hands.
"Little Chen?" Azrael's voice is soft in my head. "What does it say?"
"I'm pregnant."
Silence. Then: "I see."
"I don't know what to do. I have no money. No home. No family." Tears stream down my face. "How am I supposed to raise a baby?"
"You're not alone." His presence wraps around my mind like a blanket. "You have me. And I protect what's mine—including children of those I'm bonded to."
"You'd... you'd help me?"
"Did you think I'd abandon you like they did?" He sounds almost offended. "You're my contractor. That child is under my protection now too."
Something in my chest loosens slightly.
I'm pregnant. Abandoned. Broke. Bonded to a demon king.
But I'm not alone.
I stand up, washing my face in the sink. When I look in the mirror, the contract runes on my neck glow faintly.
"Okay," I say out loud. "Okay. We can do this."
"That's my girl," Azrael says. "Now, let's get you somewhere safe. Then we plan how to make them all pay."
I walk out of the bathroom and nearly crash into someone.
A woman with kind eyes and a doctor's coat.
"Sorry!" she says, then stops, staring at the contract runes visible on my arms. Her eyes widen. "You're a Tamer."
My heart stops. I try to pull my sleeves down.
"Wait, don't run!" She grabs my arm gently. "I'm not with the Society. I'm mortal. But I can see spirits—it's a long story."
"Let me go," I say.
"You're in trouble, aren't you?" Her eyes are concerned. "I saw you buying that test. And those marks... that's a demon contract, isn't it?"
I freeze.
"I'm not going to turn you in," she says quickly. "I'm Doctor Maya Rodriguez. I help women who need to disappear. Women running from powerful men." She hands me a business card. "If you need a safe place, call me. No questions asked."
She walks away before I can respond.
I stare at the card in my hand.
"Well," Azrael says in my mind. "That was convenient. Or suspicious. Hard to tell which."
I look at the card, then at my phone with its forty-seven cents in my account, then down at my stomach where a tiny life is just beginning.
I have nothing.
I have everything to lose.
But maybe—just maybe—I have one chance at survival.
I pull out my phone and dial the number.
"Hello?" Maya's voice answers.
"You said you help women disappear," I say. "Does that offer still stand?"
"Yes. Where are you?"
"The pharmacy on Fifth Street."
"Stay there. I'm coming to get you right now."
She hangs up.
I lean against the building, one hand on my stomach.
Xavier thinks I'm nothing. My father thinks I'm worthless. Celeste thinks she won.
They have no idea what's coming.
"Ready to disappear?" Azrael asks.
"For now," I say. "But we're coming back. And when we do, they'll wish they'd never thrown me away."
A car pulls up. Maya leans out the window. "Get in."
I take one last look at the city where I was born, raised, and destroyed.
Then I get in the car and leave it all behind.
Five years from now, I'll return.
But I won't be Aria Chen, the powerless failure.
I'll be someone they should have feared.