The Reckoning

The cold barrel of the pistol pressed against Celina's palm as she gripped it with trembling fingers. She knelt beside Darius, his blood staining her hands, her thoughts spiraling into chaos. But her heart—her damn stubborn heart—refused to let go of him.

Cale paced before them, like a predator savoring his triumph.

"I told you this would end in blood," he said softly, kneeling to meet Celina at eye level. "But you made it harder than it had to be."

"Shut up," she whispered.

Cale tilted his head, almost amused. "Still fighting? Admirable. But foolish."

She didn't wait. She raised the gun.

His expression flickered—surprise? amusement?—before he moved. Swift as a shadow, he lunged, but Celina pulled the trigger.

The gun exploded in her hand.

Cale staggered back with a hiss, a bullet grazing his shoulder.

Darius coughed, dragging himself to one elbow, eyes wide with pain. "Go—Celina—don't stay—"

"Not without you," she said, voice breaking.

Cale clutched his wound, snarling. "You're not going anywhere."

Suddenly, glass shattered above them. A rope dropped. Ivy swung down from the rafters, twin blades glinting in her hands.

"Hope I'm not late to the party," she growled, landing in front of Celina like a shield.

Cale sneered. "Of course. The meddling twin."

"I told you, Cale," Ivy said, blades at the ready. "You don't get to win this time."

"Celina, move!" Ivy barked.

Celina grabbed Darius, struggling to lift him. He groaned in protest, but she wasn't listening. Her focus was survival. Escape.

Cale reached for his gun, but Ivy lunged.

Steel clashed. Sparks flew.

Celina hauled Darius toward the emergency exit at the side of the warehouse, adrenaline her only strength. Behind them, Ivy fought like a storm, every move swift, brutal, precise.

They burst through the exit door into the bitter night. Snow was falling again—fat flakes, silent and cold.

Darius gasped, slumping against the wall. "We… need backup."

Celina tapped her comm. "Lena to Raven. We're compromised. Cale's here. Darius is injured."

Static.

Then a crackle.

"This is Raven. Extraction team en route. Ten minutes. Hold position."

Celina looked down at Darius, pale and bleeding. Ten minutes was a lifetime.

"Stay with me," she whispered.

He tried to speak. Instead, his hand reached up to brush her cheek.

"I lied," he murmured.

"What?"

"About why I stayed."

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't stay for the mission, Celina." His voice was thick with emotion, pain twisting his words. "I stayed for you."

Her heart thudded.

"I couldn't walk away… even when I should've. Even knowing who you were. I—"

The door behind them slammed open.

Cale stepped out, blood soaking his side, fury etched into every line of his face.

"You don't get to take her," he spat.

Celina rose slowly, placing herself in front of Darius. "You've already lost."

"I haven't even started."

Cale raised his gun.

Celina didn't flinch. "You'll have to kill me first."

His finger tightened on the trigger—

—and a sharp whistle sliced the air.

A dart embedded in his neck.

Cale stumbled.

Then collapsed.

Celina turned in shock.

From the alley, a black SUV roared into view. Raven stepped out, lowering a tranquilizer rifle.

"Told you not to play with monsters alone," she said grimly.

Celina let out a shaky breath. "Took you long enough."

Raven smiled thinly. "You softened him up for me."

Medics rushed in. Darius was lifted into the SUV, still conscious but weak. Celina climbed in after him, her mind spinning.

As they drove away from the warehouse, Ivy slid into the seat beside her, panting.

"Guess we make a good team," Ivy said, winking.

Celina exhaled slowly. "We're not done yet."

"No," Ivy agreed. "We're just getting started."

Later that Night

The safehouse was quiet.

Darius lay unconscious in a bed down the hall, his condition stable, according to the medics. Raven and Ivy were downstairs coordinating cleanup.

Celina stood at the window of her temporary room, staring at the snow-covered street. Her hands were still stained with blood.

She couldn't forget the way Darius had looked at her.

The truth in his voice.

I stayed for you.

She didn't deserve that kind of loyalty. She had lied, betrayed, manipulated. She was her father's daughter. No amount of courage or sacrifice could erase that.

But maybe—just maybe—she could choose differently now.

Her comm beeped.

A message from Raven: Debriefing tomorrow. You did good, Celina.

She swallowed hard.

The war wasn't over. Cale was captured, but others would rise. The Protocol was still out there—fragmented, but dangerous. Her past was still chasing her.

But for the first time in her life, she didn't feel alone.

She had Ivy.

She had Raven.

She had Darius.

And she had something else, too—something she'd never let go of again.

A reason to fight.