Episode 15: The Ones We Love

Season 1: Rise of the Villain

Episode 15: The Ones We Love

The moment Damien saw the message, he felt it in his bones. This wasn't just a threat. This was Salazar telling him that the war had changed.

This wasn't about soldiers anymore.

This was personal.

Damien's mind raced. There weren't many people Salazar could use against him. His parents were long dead, and he had no real family left. But there was one person.

Isabella.

She was the only woman Damien had ever let close to him. The only one who had ever seen the man beneath the monster. They had parted ways years ago when Damien chose the path of violence, but he had never stopped watching over her from the shadows.

And now, she was in danger because of him.

Damien grabbed his jacket and a loaded pistol, his heart pounding in a way it hadn't in years. "Nikolai, Vega—we move now."

They didn't ask questions. They just followed.

Isabella lived in a small apartment in one of the quieter districts of Blackhaven, far from the blood and crime that Damien was drowning in. He had never contacted her, never stepped into her world again.

But now, he had no choice.

The black SUV screeched to a halt outside her building. Damien was out before the car had even fully stopped, sprinting up the stairs two at a time. He kicked the door open, gun raised—

And froze.

The apartment was in ruins. The furniture was shattered, blood smeared across the walls.

But Isabella was gone.

Damien's phone buzzed again. Another message.

A video.

He pressed play with a shaking hand.

The screen flickered to life, showing a dimly lit room. Isabella sat tied to a chair, her face bruised, a small trickle of blood running from her lip. Behind her, a man stood holding a knife.

Salazar's voice echoed through the speakers.

"You should've left well enough alone, Cross."

Damien's grip tightened on the phone, his teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached.

Salazar continued, his voice mockingly soft. "You killed my men. Burned my shipment. Took away what was mine. So now… I take something from you."

The man behind Isabella raised the knife to her throat.

Damien's pulse roared in his ears. "You touch her, and I'll—"

The screen went black.

The call ended.

For the first time in a long time, Damien felt something he thought had burned out of him years ago.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For her.

He turned to Nikolai and Vega, his voice low but full of lethal intent. "Find her. Now."

Vega's expression was grim. "If they took her, they'll expect you to come running. It's a trap."

Damien's eyes burned with fury. "Then we walk into it."

He had spent years turning himself into a monster, a nightmare for those who crossed him.

Now, Salazar was about to learn exactly what kind of demon he had awakened.

To be continued...