Chapter 144 The first Knight returns
Third Person POV
Melissa sat by the window, looking at nothing. That was all she ever did now. She was about to grab her pain medication for her arm because the throb was getting more painful.
Everything felt wrong.
Somewhere in the distance, she could hear muffled sounds echoing through the huge compound. The sound of people shouting and gunfire. Her heart skipped a beat. She wanted to cover her ears but the sharp pain made it impossible.
She should probably care or probably try to figure out what was happening.
But she couldn’t summon the energy.
The drugs they’d given her for the pain made everything fuzzy. Like she was watching the world through thick glass.
And beneath the drugs, there was just… exhaustion.
Bone-deep weariness.
What was the point of caring about distant sounds when her entire world had already ended?
Melissa eventually decided to ignore the sound and kept staring out the window. At the gardens below and the high walls beyond them.
At freedom she couldn’t reach. The fighting sounds grew louder and closer yet didn’t move.
She didn’t even bother to turn her head anymore. Until she heard the sound of someone walking into the room hurriedly.
“Stand up.” Stephan’s harsh voice rang out.
“Let’s leave. We’re going right now.”
Melissa didn’t respond, she didn’t even look at him.
“I said STAND UP!”
His hand grabbed her good shoulder and shook her. She finally turned her head and looked at him with dull, empty eyes.
Stephan looked very scared for some reason.
His suit was disheveled and his hair was messed up. There was blood on his collar and his eyes were wild and desperate he was even sweating.
“We need to go,” he said. “Now. Before…”
“No,” Melissa said. Her voice was flat.
“What?”
“No. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
His face contorted with rage. “Stand up, you fucking bitch!”
Melissa turned back to the window. Stephan’s hand tightened on her shoulder. It was very painful, already leaving red marks on her skin but she didn’t react.
What was more pain? What did it matter?
He yanked her to her feet. She stumbled but didn’t fight. Just stood there, limp, staring past him at nothing.
“Move,” he snarled and started dragging her toward the door.
Then someone appeared in the doorway blocking the exit. Melissa looked up and froze as her heart beat wildly.
He stepped into the room. “Let her go,” the man said.
His voice.
She knew that voice but her mind was finding it very hard to process everything that was going on .
Melissa’s eyes widened.
“How are you here?” she whispered.
“Ethan,” Stephan said. His voice dripped with venom. “So you finally chose to come back.”
Ethan. The two men stared at each other. Then Ethan moved fast.
His fist connected with Stephan’s jaw with a crack that made Melissa flinch.
Stephan’s grip on her was released; he stumbled backward and hit the wall.
Ethan didn’t bother hitting him again; he just stood there protesting Melissa with his body.
“I’ll only be merciful once,” Ethan said. His voice was cold and sounded really powerful. “Run. Leave this compound and never return. And if you harm Melissa again…” his voice dropped lower, became lethal “…I’ll kill you.”
Stephan touched his jaw as blood dripped from his lips.
Then he started laughing. It was low at first then it started building up making him sound like a manic.
“Kill me?” He pushed off the wall. “Kill ME?”
His laughter grew louder and more unhinged.
“You don’t have the heart,my boy.” Stephan wiped the blood from his mouth. “You’ve always been too weak for this family. That’s why you ran. That’s why your own never claimed you.”
Father?
Melissa’s drug-fogged brain tried to process that.
Ethan and Stephan were related? He was always a part of the five families?
Which meant…
“You ran away when you were sixteen,” Stephan continued. “Your weak ass couldn’t even handle the training. You could not handle what Zeus asked of us. Your where too much of a pussy, a fucking weak pussy”
Ethan’s expression didn’t change. “I left because I refused to become a monster.”
“You left because you’re a coward.”
“Maybe. But I came back.” Ethan took a step forward. “For her.”
Stephan’s eyes narrowed. “Why? What is she to you?”
“Nothing. And everything.” Ethan glanced back at Melissa for just a second. “I’m taking her away from all this madness, she leaves with me today.”
Stephan lunged at him. The two men collided in the center of the room.
Melissa stumbled backward. And hit the bed.
The fight was brutal. Stephan fought like Zeus had trained him. In a dirty manner, he didn’t care about honor, he wanted to end his opponent and he did everything to achieve that.
But Ethan fought like someone who had something to lose.
They were evenly matched. Trading blows that would have killed lesser men.
Stephan got Ethan in a chokehold. Ethan drove his elbow backward into Stephan’s ribs. Once. Twice. The grip loosened.
Ethan spun. Drove his knee into Stephan’s stomach.
Stephan doubled over but came up swinging. His fist caught Ethan’s cheekbone splitting the skin.
Blood ran down Ethan’s face. He smiled then launched himself at Stephan with renewed fury.
They crashed into the medical equipment. Monitors fell and then to the floor.
Stephan grabbed a piece of broken equipment. Swung it at Ethan’s head.
Ethan ducked. The equipment hit the wall behind him.
He used the movement to drive his shoulder into Stephan’s chest. Slammed him against the wall.
“You’re weak,” Stephan gasped. “Always have been. You can’t…”
Ethan’s fist connected with his jaw again. Harder this time.
Stephan’s head snapped back. Hit the wall.
He slid down. Dazed.
Ethan stood over him. Breathing hard. Blood dripping from his face.
“I’m not the one on the floor,” he said quietly.
Then he turned to Melissa.
She was still sitting on the bed. Watching with wide, confused eyes.
“We need to go,” Ethan said. His voice was gentler now. “Before Kane gets here and kills us both for touching you.”
“Kane?” Melissa’s voice was small. Uncertain.
“He is here with Gavin , I’m sure he is close. He’s fighting his way through the compound right now to reach you.” Ethan extended his hand. “But I’m faster. And I know the back way out.”
Behind him, Stephan groaned and started trying to get up.
Ethan glanced back. His expression hardened.
“Last chance, Stephan. Stay down or I put you down permanently.”
Stephan looked up at him. Blood running from his nose and his mouth.
“Zeus was right about you,” he spat. “You’re nothing. A failure. Not worthy of the volkov name.”
“Good,” Ethan said. “I never wanted it anyway.”
Then he turned back to Melissa. “Please. We need to move. Now.”
Melissa looked at his extended hand.
Then at Stephan on the floor.She took his hand.
Ethan pulled her gently to her feet. Careful of her broken arm.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
“I think so.”
“Good. Stay close to me.”
They headed for the door. Stephan’s voice followed them. Weak but venomous.
“You’ll regret this, brother. You’ll regret…”
Ethan looked back one last time.
“I’ve regretted everything about this family since the day I was born into it. One more regret won’t make a difference.”
Then they were gone running through the corridors.
Away from Stephan.