Chapter 10: Price in Blood

Diego looked at Lucian like he had just seen a ghost.

His eyes were locked in, panic written across his face.

"¿Tú eres loco? ¿Qué clase de idiota firma con esos malditos monstruos, eh? ¿A quién tú mataste?" ("Are you crazy? What kind of idiot signs with those damn monsters, huh? Who did you kill?")

Lucian froze.

The words didn't make sense. Kill? What was he talking about?

"No one," Lucian said, his voice low but steady. "I didn't kill anyone."

Diego shook his head, almost in disbelief. "Then it wasn't a real pact."

Lucian narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Diego leaned forward, his voice dropping lower. "Those kinds of deals, boy... they don't come free. You don't just get handed that kind of power. Someone always pays. You want the good stuff, you need to spill blood."

Lucian blinked.

This wasn't part of what he was told. No one had said anything about sacrifices. There was no blood ritual, no victim, no demand. He just shook the hand, and that was it.

But something about Diego's reaction stuck with him. It wasn't just fear, it was recognition.

Lucian looked down, his thoughts moving fast.

'No… maybe it's different.'

The one he spoke to wasn't some minor demon looking for favors. It was the king of the underworld himself. The deal had felt like a direct spoken contract, not a curse.

Still, a question began to settle uncomfortably in his mind.

'Was I duped that easily? That early?'

Had he really been handed power… without knowing what it cost?

His chest tightened. He looked back at his father and suddenly wasn't sure who was more in danger, his family, or him.

Lucian shook his head. "You're lying. How do you even know about this? What—are you suddenly not innocent anymore? All those years, you acted like you were wrongfully locked up. Was that bullshit too?"

Diego's face didn't move at first. But then he spoke, voice quieter.

"Lucian… the guy who put me in here is a pinche pendejo who made those deals long before I did."

Lucian stiffened.

Diego went on. "As for being innocent… everything I did, I did for you. For our family."

Lucian's jaw tensed. "Well, you failed."

His voice rose slightly as the anger caught up.

"Now my family suffers. You know how many times Mom cried alone? How many times Scarlett came home from one job just to head to another, while her friends were out living life? She doesn't get to live, because we're always trying to survive."

Diego looked down and shifted in his seat, then pushed his hands on the table like he was about to stand up.

Lucian's chest tightened, panic slipping through. He reached forward, voice strained.

"Stop. I need your help."

Diego paused, still hunched forward.

Lucian took a breath. "I need…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes briefly. "I need to make some quick, large money."

Diego slowly sat back down, face tightening into a scowl.

"I will not help my son join me in prison," he said firmly. "Go back home, Lucian. Study. Get a job. Live a normal life."

Lucian's patience snapped. "Don't be a fucking hypocrite."

His voice was low but cut straight through.

"You don't get to tell me not to go down your path when you paved it with your decisions. I will do this, with or without you. If you really don't want me to end up in jail, then help me avoid the same mistakes. But don't sit there and pretend you're clean while judging me for getting dirty."

Diego looked down at the table again, his jaw working like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Finally, he muttered, "That fucking monster's already in you… The Lucian I knew wasn't a manipulative bastard."

Lucian leaned in, eyes steady. "The Lucian you knew died for your crimes. So I'll ask one more time—are you helping me or not?"

He watched Diego's face carefully.

Waiting.

Diego looked up, his expression hard again.

"So what's your plan then?" he asked. "Let me hear it."

Lucian pressed his lips together, eyes shifting away slightly.

"I… uhm…" he cleared his throat. "I don't—don't exactly have a plan."

Diego blinked. "What?"

"I don't have a plan," Lucian repeated. "Look, I just got these… abilities. Or the deal. I haven't had time to figure anything out. But I know I need money, and I need it fast."

Diego leaned back in his seat and scoffed. He looked away, muttering to himself before snapping his eyes back at Lucian.

"You are a fucking stupid idiot, Lucian. You never walk into the dark without a plan, never. Even if it's just a rough one. No plan? You're already dead."

He shook his head in disbelief.

Lucian went silent.

The weight of it settled again. He wasn't used to being talked down to, but this time, he couldn't argue.

He really didn't have a plan. Just pressure, a deadline, and a growing power he barely understood.

Diego exhaled and leaned forward, lowering his voice again.

"I have contacts that might help you," he said. "She's… an interesting person. Capable. Unpredictable."

Lucian looked up.

"But listen carefully," Diego continued. "You never tell her you've made a deal. Never. In fact, take that to your grave. If someone finds out… they'll either try to use you or kill you."

That line hit hard.

Lucian's chest tightened. His face stayed neutral, but inside, the warning shook him more than he expected.

"You don't get it," Diego said, his tone low but sharp. "Everyone wants someone like you on their side. Someone with access to that kind of power. They don't care about you, they care about what you can give. You need to be powerful before anyone finds out what you are. Don't trust anyone fully. Don't slip."

Lucian nodded, slower this time.

Diego continued, "The contact's name is Crystal. I haven't heard from her in over a decade, but if she's alive, she's capable."

He leaned in and repeated the address twice. "Remember it. Don't write it down. Don't say it again. Just remember it."

Lucian nodded again, this time with more certainty.

"Got it."