Page 74 of Damian
When we hit the courtyard, the trucks were already rolling in, our backup securing the perimeter.
I shoved him into the back of the armored SUV, slamming the door behind him. For a moment I stood there, breath heaving, shoulder throbbing, ribs burning.
And then I thought of Morgan.
This wasn’t just another win. This was survival. This was a promise kept.
Oliver clapped my shoulder—too close to the wound, making me hiss—but his grin was wide. “Hell of a night, Damian, I didn’t know you Brits could be so fun. You caged the devil himself.”
I glanced back at the SUV where Luthor sat shackled, hisempire collapsing in the rearview mirror. “Devil or not,” I said, “he bleeds like every other man.”
And as we pulled away from the compound, the rising sun cut through the haze, sharp and blinding.
For the first time in a long time, it felt like dawn meant something.
99
Morgan
I’d worn a path in the living room rug. Back and forth, back and forth, the minutes crawling slower than the clock on the wall. Ruby had fallen asleep again on the couch, her head pillowed on her arm, but I couldn’t sit. Not when every nerve in me stretched toward that door.
When the knock finally came, it rattled straight through me.
Three steady raps. His knock.
I lunged for the door, heart hammering, and threw it open.
Damian filled the frame—bloodied, battered, but standing tall. His hair was damp with sweat, his shirt torn, with blood splattered on the front but there was something in his eyes I hadn’t seen before. Finality. A weight lifted.
“You—” My voice cracked, the rest swallowed in relief as I pressed a hand over my mouth.
He stepped inside, shutting the door with his boot. Then his arms were around me, pulling me against him so tight I could barely breathe. He didn’t say anything at first, justburied his face in my hair, his chest shaking with the force of holding me.
I clutched him back, fingers digging into his shoulders. “Tell me you’re here to stay this time,” I whispered into his neck.
His breath shuddered out. “I’m here. Luthor’s done. We’ve got him.”
The words rang through me, sharp and impossible. “You…you caught him?”
“In cuffs. His empire’s burning.” His lips brushed my temple. “He can’t touch you. Not now. Not ever.”
Tears spilled hot down my cheeks, but I didn’t care. I pressed my forehead to his chest, letting the truth sink in. For the first time since this nightmare began, I believed him.
Ruby stirred at the sound of his voice. She blinked at us, bleary, then scrambled up from the couch. “Damian?”
She walked toward him, and then he hugged her close, whispering something I couldn’t hear. Her shoulders shook, and when she pulled back, she was smiling through tears.
I watched them, my chest aching with something fierce and protective. This was what I’d been praying for. Not just survival, not just another day—but this. A moment where we weren’t running anymore.
Damian’s eyes met mine over Ruby’s head. Tired, scarred, but steady.
Ours,I thought.Finally ours.
100
Morgan
The safehouse was quiet again, but it was different this time. Not the brittle quiet of waiting, or the heavy silence of fear—this was peace.
