~ Aria's POV
"I buried my son. I mourned him. So how can he still be alive?"
The words were on repeat in my mind, over and over, louder each time, mocking me. My hands were trembling with the phone in my hands, as I stared at the picture Federico had sent. Leo---my baby's eyes still had the same light but were dazed. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach.
And then, I refused to hesitate as I dialed Damien.
"Meet me," I gritted my teeth, glaring into the distance. "Now."
~ At Damien's Place
Damien examined the photo and clenched his jaw when he realized how lifeless the kid looked. He stiffened, scanning every detail of the picture. "I thought he was dead," he whispered to himself, but I still heard it. "Lucien never misses."
"So did I," I snapped. I had to fight off the tears that burned my eyes and swallow the lump in my throat. "But he didn't. That son of a bitch faked it. Why?"
Damien put the phone down and rubbed his face, pacing around the living room of his house. "Lucien's always ten steps ahead. If Leo's alive, it's for a reason. A very twisted reason, Aria."
"What kind of reason justifies this?" I was furious, out of my mind.
Damien stopped mid-track as his eyes darkened. "There's a chance he might be preparing Leo to be a weapon. There's a place---off the grid. A black-site training facility. It's where Lucian sends anyone he wants to reshape, mind-wiped, or broken. They make soldiers who never question orders. That might be where he is." He walked over to me with the photo and zoomed in on Leo's shirt. "This is their logo."
The words knocked all the oxygen out of me. My hands trembled as I watched the photo. "He's turning him into a monster."
Damien's expression was stern when he spoke. "Unless we get to him first."
~ The Next Day
Damien and I decided to meet Federico at Damien's house. His betrayal was equipped with blueprints of the facility, the guards' rotations, and even all the cameras' blind spots. His eyes were nervous, filled with guilt.
"You'll need to go in quietly," he said, spreading the plans across the dining table. "They change shifts every four hours. Use the east wing entrance---less security."
Damien was studying the map carefully as he continued, "And Leo?"
"Bottom level," Federico was hesitant, causing me to be doubtful of him. "Room 17 B. Isolated. Monitored. Drugged most of the time."
"Why are you doing this?" Finally, I asked the question bugging me from the start, as I crossed my arms tightly over my chest.
"Because even I have a line, Aria. And Lucien crossed it."
For some reason, I believed him. There was no way many people accepted separating a toddler from his mother.
~ Later That Night
I was back at Lucien's mansion. I was alone in the bathroom, throwing my guts out. The test in my hand trembled, while my heart thundered with rage.
It was Positive.
A second child. Lucien's child.
The cold floor of the bathroom made my breath hitch, as my hands clutched around my stomach. The horror of the pregnancy settled in my stomach. My husband faked my son's death, planning to raise him as a mindless soldier, and now---I was carrying another life tied with him.
A war brewed inside me. Battling Lucien might endanger this new life, but if I didn't, Lucien would win, and who knows what he'd do next.
~ At Midnight
Damien and I wore all black. We were equipped with nothing but silenced pistols and our rage. Federico drove us in through a hidden access road. From there, we had to go on foot.
We crept through the side corridor, my heart shuddering violently in my chest. Damien had disabled the cameras, whispering directions. "Down this hall. Take a left." We passed room after room---some were locked, and some were filled with distant groans. The deeper we walked inside, the colder it started to get.
Finally, we reached room 17 B. My fingers moved across the keypad. Damien covered me, whispering in my ears. "A few minutes. That's all we've got."
I hurriedly punched in the code. The door creaked open, and there he was.
My baby, my Leo.
He was strapped to a bed as I rushed over to him. His eyes were open but empty. An IV slid into his arm.
I rushed to him, sobbing. "Leo...baby. It's me. Mommy's here."
His gaze was unfocused as he looked past me, non-responsive. I carefully took out the IV and held him tight in my arms, whispering comfort in his ears.
Damien was guarding the hallway when he heard it. Multiple footsteps closing in on us.
"Go!" Damien growled. "Get out with him---now!"
"What? No! You're coming too!"
"I said GO, Aria!" he barked. "This was going to happen."
And then---gunshots echoed around. Scared, I held Leo close to my chest and ran. My heart was pounding in my chest, eyes were burning with tears. Federico was nowhere in plain sight. Of course, the bastard betrayed us.
I retraced our path and didn't stop running until I reached the car. Leo barely even moved, his head resting on my shoulder, his limbs limping. I slammed the door shut, shoved the key in, and hid the car in the trees.
I moved to look at the building behind me, waiting for Damien to rush out. But instead, the compound exploded as the sky lit up with orange and red flames.
"Damien!!" I screamed, my heart ramming inside my chest.
