Chapter 91
Chapter 91:
Aftershocks
Aurora & Dominique’s POV
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Aurora’s POV
I couldn’t sleep.
Not because of guilt.
Not because of Damian.
Because of him.
Dominique.
His eyes haunted me more than the kiss I gave his brother. That look, cold, unreadable, empty but behind it was pain. Raw, blistering pain. He didn’t need to say anything. That gaze screamed louder than any words could.
I thought I was prepared for heartbreak.
But I never imagined I’d be the one dealing it.
The storm outside had slowed to a drizzle, yet the storm inside me was unrelenting. I lay awake in my room, staring at the ceiling, trying to piece together what the hell I was doing. What I wanted. Who I was. I felt like a traitor in my own skin.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
Silently, I slipped out of bed and tiptoed down the hallways of Blackwood Manor. I didn't want to run into Damian, and I didn't even know if Dominique was back. My heart was reckless. My body moved before my mind caught up. I found myself standing at the door to Dominique’s wing.
The lights were off.
I hesitated then entered.
The scent of him clung to the room like memory. Dark, smoky, leather and storm clouds. I closed the door softly behind me and stepped inside. His room was surprisingly bare. Minimalistic. Spartan. But there were details, ones you’d miss if you weren’t looking hard enough.
A weathered book on his nightstand.
A small photo tucked into the mirror's edge.
I stepped closer.
The photo was of me.
Not a glamorous photo. Just a snapshot, me laughing, hair messy, wind blowing in my face. I didn’t even remember when it was taken. But he’d kept it.
My throat tightened.
That photo said everything he never had the courage to.
And I’d crushed him anyway.
I sat on his bed and buried my face in my hands. What had I done?
A soft knock on the door made me jolt.
A maid entered with cautious steps. “Miss Aurora, someone left this for you at the front desk. No name.”
She handed me a small envelope.
I opened it slowly.
Inside was a note, written in careful, elegant scrawl:
"He can’t protect you from what’s coming. Choose wisely."
My blood ran cold.
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Dominique’s POV
The night had claws.
I could feel them digging into me, deeper with every passing hour. I hadn’t gone home. Couldn’t. Not after what I saw. Not after her mouth on his. Her eyes closed, like she meant it.
I was parked outside the old mechanic's warehouse near the city outskirts neutral ground. No cameras, no questions. I needed air, but more than that, I needed answers.
Inside the warehouse was a man I hadn’t seen in years.
Julien Morro. French-Russian arms dealer. Smuggler. Informant. Snake.
He owed me a favor.
I stepped inside and the familiar stench of oil and steel hit me like a punch. Julien looked up from his table, where he was cleaning a pistol with a bored expression.
“Well, if it isn’t the Devil himself,” he said, grinning. “Didn’t think you’d crawl out of your castle tonight.”
“I need information,” I said without preamble.
He cocked his head. “About?”
“Aurora Thompson.”
His smile dropped. “You finally said her name out loud. Progress.”
I didn’t react.
He sighed. “Word’s getting around. There’s chatter. Someone’s putting out feelers. Big money. Someone wants her gone.”
My spine stiffened. “Who?”
Julien shrugged. “Could be the Russians. Could be Don Vito’s loyalists. Could be someone in your own family with more ambition than sense. All I know is, she’s a target. And soon.”
I clenched my jaw. “Give me the source. Now.”
Julien studied me. “She means that much?”
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t have to.
His gaze softened, just slightly. “You’re losing your edge, Devil. Or maybe... you’re finding your humanity.”
I turned without another word.
The drive back was a blur of fury and fear.
When I finally pulled into the estate, the gates opened slower than usual. Everything felt... wrong. Like the walls were closing in. The staff avoided my eyes as I walked in. Something was happening beneath the surface.
I needed to find Aurora.
I found her sitting on the edge of my bed.
She looked like a ghost in moonlight, pale, lost, holding a letter in her shaking hands.
When our eyes met, her breath caught.
“Dominique,” she whispered.
I didn’t speak.
Couldn’t.
Not yet.
She stood, took a step toward me. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. What you saw”
“I saw enough,” I said quietly.
She flinched.
I walked past her, grabbed the letter from her hand and read it. My blood went cold.
The same writing.
The same threats I’d received years ago from the remnants of victor Peterson's men.
Someone was coming for her.
“Who gave this to you?” I asked.
“One of the maids said it was dropped off, no name, no messenger.”
I folded it and slipped it into my coat. “You’re not safe.”
She stepped closer. “Dominique…”
“You need to leave,” I said, voice hollow. “Tonight.”
She froze. “What?”
“I’ll send you somewhere safe. Somewhere they won’t find you. Until I take care of this.”
“No,” she said, voice rising. “I’m not running again. I’ve run my whole life”
“This isn’t a choice,” I snapped, turning to face her. “You don’t get to fight this war, Aurora. You don’t even know the rules.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “So you get to make every decision for me? Just like before? Even now?”
I looked away. “I’m trying to save your life.”
“No,” she whispered. “You’re trying to save your heart. You’re scared that if I stay, and this war touches me, you’ll finally lose control. You’ll have to admit you love me.”
I stepped back like she’d slapped me.
The truth always cut deeper than any blade.
She walked past me to the door. “I’m not afraid of your war, Dominique. I’m afraid of the walls you keep putting between us.”
And then she left me alone.
Again.
With nothing but shadows, a death threat, and the echo of her footsteps.