Chapter 12: The Ashes Between Us

The gunshot echoed like a curse in the night, leaving behind a silence that screamed louder than any sound. Elena had run into the dark, her heart pounding like a war drum, breath ragged and sharp. Behind her—the boy she once feared, once hated, now the only one she trusted—was left alone to face a monster.

The rain swallowed her.

And then, another shot. Then silence.

She stopped. Turned around.

Her hands trembled, her body soaked, but she refused to leave him behind.

"Aiden..." she whispered. "Please..."

A shadow appeared through the curtain of rain. Limping. Bloodied. Breathing hard.

It was him.

He stumbled toward her, one hand clutching his side.

"Are you… hurt?" she cried, rushing to him.

"No," he whispered. "Not… enough to stop."

She wrapped his arm over her shoulder and helped him toward the trees.

---

They didn't speak again until they reached the edge of the woods, far from the estate. Aiden led her into an old, abandoned train tunnel—hidden beneath roots and vines. Inside was dry and dark, lined with old supplies. Milo's safe house.

Aiden lit a lamp, its warm glow flickering like a heartbeat.

He sat down, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes for a moment.

"You should sleep," he muttered.

Elena stood in silence, watching him. Rain still dripped from her hair. Her eyes were red—not from fear, but something deeper.

"Aiden…" she began, voice cracking. "Back there... you told me to run. Why?"

He looked at her slowly.

"Because I knew he'd aim for you next."

"And you would've taken the bullet for me?"

He didn't answer.

That was answer enough.

Her fists clenched. "You should've run with me."

"I couldn't… not until I knew you were safe."

"But you weren't safe either! And still—" she stopped, voice breaking. "Why do you keep doing this for me?"

Aiden's eyes were tired, wounded—not just from the fight, but years of being someone else's weapon.

"Because… you were the first person I didn't see through a scope. The first person I didn't meet with a mission. You were… real."

Elena felt her breath catch.

"I'm not good with feelings," he added, his voice low. "I was trained not to have them. But that day, when I watched you feed orphans, when I saw you kneel to talk to a crying child instead of ignoring her… I didn't know why my hands shook when I aimed at you. Now I do."

He looked up.

"It's because I saw light. In a world where I was raised in shadows."

Elena stepped toward him, kneeling.

"You could've left. You could've killed me. But you didn't."

"And now you're in danger because of me."

"I'm alive because of you."

Silence fell between them again. But this time, it was soft.

"I don't hate you, Aiden," she said quietly. "I'm scared. Confused. But I don't hate you."

His lips parted slightly. "I can live with that."

Then he added, almost brokenly, "Do you still want to turn me in?"

She looked down.

"No."

He blinked, as if not expecting that answer.

"You're not the same person they raised. You're someone else now."

He looked away. "Maybe. But Lucien doesn't forget betrayal. And Dante... he won't stop."

"Then we run," she whispered. "Together."

Aiden exhaled slowly, a small breath of disbelief and hope.

"Together," he repeated.

---

Meanwhile, at the Syndicate base, Lucien stood in his chamber of shadows.

Dante, drenched and bruised, had returned alone.

"You hesitated," Lucien said coldly.

"I failed," Dante replied, emotionless.

Lucien turned to the map—Aiden's movements, coordinates, escape patterns. He traced a line with his finger.

"He's still protecting her. And now she protects him. Emotions... make them weak. Yet somehow… stronger."

Dante remained silent.

Lucien looked up. "We don't hunt them directly anymore. We remove everything around them. Friends. Helpers. Havens. Until they have nowhere left."

Dante gave a single nod. "Then… what's my next mission?"

Lucien turned.

"Burn everything they run to."

---

Back in the tunnel, Elena had finally fallen asleep, curled in an old blanket beside the fire.

Aiden sat alone, staring into the flames.

He didn't know what tomorrow would bring. Maybe another fight. Maybe another loss.

But for the first time since he was a child… he wasn't alone.

For the first time—

He had someone to protect, not because he was told to.

But because he wanted to.

Because he loved her.

---

To be continued…