Page 84 of Claimed By the Damned

The car pulls away smoothly, melting into the night.

Chapter 26: The Cage Rebuilt

Lila

The knock is soft at first, almost too soft to drag me from Bastian's bed. I roll over, groggy and disoriented in the unfamiliar darkness of his room, pulling sheets closer, breathing in the faint scent of him, before the sound comes again, firmer this time.

Knock. Knock.

I blink, trying to focus, my heart kicking up a notch. No one would knock on Bastian's door in the middle of the night. Not unless—

"Lila," a voice calls quietly from the other side. "It’s Luke. Open up."

Luke? My fingers clench around the expensive, high-thread-count sheets. He's one of Grim's guys—quiet, steady Luke. Someone Grim trusts, which has usually been enough for me to lower my walls, just a little.

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and pad to the door, unlocking the deadbolt with hesitant fingers. The second it cracks open, Luke slips inside, shutting it quickly behind him.

"What—?"

"Shh," he whispers, eyes darting toward the door as if someone might be listening. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper, the edges soft, worn thin.

A letter.

"Who is that from? Where did you get it?" My voice is barely a breath.

"It’s from Theo."

A cold shock slams through me.Theo.

My hand shoots out, snatching the letter before thought catches up. My hands shake as I stare down at it, fingers tracing the frayed edges. It looks real. It feels real. But my brain screamsthat it can’t be. Theo is dead.The last thing he ever said to me was, 'Lila, GO! I’ll hold them off.' And I had gone. I had run, leaving him behind, knowing there was no way he could have survived.

If Kolya’s men didn’t kill him outright… the alternative makes bile rise in my throat. Torture. Breaking him down piece by piece. I’ve spent months forcing down the images, clinging to the certainty he was gone, because imagining him suffering under Kolya? That’s a horror worse than death.

"I don’t understand," I whisper. "How do you have this? How do you even know who Theo is?"

Luke hesitates just long enough for doubt to slither in, but then he sighs, rubbing a hand down his face. "I... I worked with Theo, years ago, before he got mixed up with Kolya. I have my ways, Lila. Someone slipped this to me. Said it was meant for you from Theo."

Something cold coils in my gut, a warning I shove down, hard. It's Theo's handwriting—I'd know that sharp, familiar scrawl anywhere.Images flash—notebooks filled with it, forgotten grocery lists, stupid little notes he used to leave on the counter near the shared coffee pot at the diner he worked at nights.

I swallow hard and unfold the paper, forcing myself to breathe as I read.

Doll,

I don’t know if this will reach you, but I have to try. I’ve wanted to write to you a hundred times, but I didn’t know what to say to you or how to get it to you 'til now. I never wanted you to think I was gone, but I had no choice. They were watching me. I had to disappear until I knew I wouldn’t lead them back to you.

I heard about what happened with Kolya. I can’t begin to tell you what it did to me knowing he found you. But you fought, didn’t you? You always were the stubborn one. Remember when we got caught sneaking into that old drive-in, and youtried to convince the owner you were his long-lost niece? You were so damn confident, I almost believed it myself. You always had a way of talking yourself out of trouble. But this… this isn’t trouble you can charm your way out of.

I made it out that night too, Lila. You were like a sister to me by the end, the only real family I had left. They caught me, but I escaped before they could do much worse. I’ve been hiding ever since, moving, watching, waiting for the right time. I wanted to come back for you, but I couldn’t risk them finding you again. But now, I don’t have a choice, I need to see you. Just once. Just to know you’re okay before I disappear forever.

If you trust me, meet me outside the back of the flower shop. The one you work at. Midnight. I’ll be waiting.

Please, Doll. Come find me.

- Theo

My vision blurs. I clutch the letter so tightly the paper crinkles between my fingers.

Unease tightens my chest. It is his handwriting, his words. The nickname he used for me. The mention of the drive-in, a specific, shared memory only he would know. But… isn’t that exactly what I’d want to believe? What if it is just a cruel trick? What if I am walking into something worse?

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