THE BASTARD THEY FEARED

CHAPTER 7: MONSTER

Kael’s POV

We didn’t stop running until my lungs felt shredded. Rain hammered the streets of Blackthorn City while Raven dragged me through narrow alleys and abandoned roads like she already knew every escape route in the city. The word “assassin” still echoed bitterly in my head as I glanced at her running ahead of me. She was cold, fast, and deadly, and apparently she was originally supposed to kill me.

My shoulder burned with every movement while blood continued soaking through my hoodie, and Marcus ran behind us surprisingly well for an older man. “How are you not tired?” I shouted breathlessly. “Fear is excellent exercise!”

We cut through another alley before Raven suddenly shoved open a rusted metal door hidden behind stacked crates. “Come inside.” I stumbled into darkness. The place smelled like dust, oil, and old smoke, and it looked like an abandoned warehouse. Raven slammed the door shut behind us and locked it immediately.

For the first time all night, there was silence, no gunfire, screaming, or footsteps hunting me, just my ragged breathing filling the room.

I bent forward with my hands on my knees, trying not to throw up from exhaustion, while Marcus calmly removed his soaked jacket like tonight was mildly inconvenient instead of life-threatening, and I stared at him in disbelief.

“You people are insane.”

“No,” Marcus corrected smoothly. “You just entered a different world.”

It is still the same thing.

Raven walked toward an old table and switched on a dim lantern, and soft golden light filled the warehouse. The place was huge, as dust-covered crates lined the walls while old weapons and maps covered a long metal table near the center of the room.

“Do you use this place often?” I asked carefully, but Raven ignored me completely. Instead, she grabbed a medical kit from one of the shelves and tossed it toward me. “Take your hoodie off.” I blinked. “What?” “You’re bleeding all over my floor.” “I don’t think this place belongs to you.”

She slowly looked up at me and asked, “Do you want to keep your arm?” I reluctantly pulled the hoodie off, hissing immediately as cold air hit the wound, and Marcus whistled softly. “That’s deeper than I thought.”

I looked down to see that the bullet had torn across the top of my shoulder, leaving an ugly gash. Blood coated my skin, and I suddenly felt lightheaded. Raven crouched beside me and started cleaning the wound without warning, making the alcohol hit me like fire.

“Jesus Christ!”

“Stop moving.” “You could at least warn me!” “At least you’re alive; that’s enough warning.” I glared at her while she wrapped the bandage tightly around my shoulder with annoyingly steady hands.

“How many people have you killed?” The question slipped out before I could stop it. Raven paused briefly and continued wrapping the bandage. “Enough.” Something about the way she answered chilled me, and Marcus leaned against the table nearby while watching us carefully.

“You handled yourself surprisingly well tonight, Kael.” “I spent most of the night running for my life.” “And yet you’re still alive.” Apparently that was becoming everyone’s favorite compliment.

Raven tied off the bandage and finally stepped back. “There.” I rotated my shoulder carefully; it still hurt like hell but was manageable. “Thanks,” I muttered. “You’re welcome.” The words sounded strange coming from her; it was almost unnatural.

I looked around the warehouse again to see weapons, maps, burner phones, and ammo. It wasn’t just a hideout but a preparation for war. “How bad is this empire conflict?”

I asked, and Marcus and Raven exchanged a glance. They hesitated before Marcus finally spoke. “Alessandro’s death destabilized everything.” “He controlled too much,” Raven added quietly. “Such as?”

“Politicians, judges, criminal organizations, shipping routes, and private security networks.” I stared at her. “That’s not an empire.”

Marcus smiled faintly. “That’s exactly what it was.” My stomach twisted as I still couldn’t think of Alessandro as my father. That man was a ghost, a monster from stories whispered in the city, and somehow his blood ran through me. The thought made my skin crawl.

Marcus moved toward the table and spread out several photographs, and my eyes widened. The pictures showed powerful-looking men and women stepping out of luxury cars, entering private buildings, and shaking hands with politicians. Some faces looked familiar from television, while others looked terrifying enough without introductions.

Marcus pointed at one of the photos. “This is the Serpents.” The man in the picture had a snake tattoo curling around his throat. “The same people who attacked the bridge tonight?”

Marcus nodded. “They’ve wanted Alessandro’s territory for years.”

Raven crossed her arms. “Lucien has been fighting them quietly for months.”

“He was already preparing for Alessandro’s death?”

Both of them went silent before Marcus said carefully, “Lucien has always been ambitious.” That sounded like a polite way of saying dangerous psychopath, and I thought about the way Lucien shot his own man without hesitation. He was cold, empty, and inhuman, and a shiver crawled down my spine. “Why didn’t Alessandro choose Lucien as a successor?"

Marcus’s expression darkened slightly. “Because Alessandro trusted results more than blood.” I frowned and asked, “What does that mean?” “It means Lucien failed him.” I doubted that was possible because Lucien looked terrifyingly competent.

“What did he fail?”

Marcus hesitated again, and I was getting sick of people doing that, but before he could answer, my phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket. The sound nearly gave me a heart attack. It was an unknown number again, and Raven immediately reached for her gun.

“Don’t.” I had a strange feeling and answered slowly.

“... Hello?” There was silence, just soft, unsteady breathing, and my heart tightened instantly.

“Selena?” A shaky exhale answered me.

“Kael.” Everything inside me froze, as I hadn’t even thought about her since the hospital since my life exploded, and hearing her voice now felt strangely unreal. “You’re alive,” she whispered. My brows pulled together. “What?” “I saw the news.” “What news?”

Marcus cursed softly nearby while Raven immediately grabbed a nearby laptop and opened it. My stomach dropped when I saw the screen and headlines flooded every major news outlet.

“HOSPITAL SHOOTING LEAVES MULTIPLE DEAD, GANG VIOLENCE SUSPECTED. MYSTERY MAN WANTED FOR QUESTIONING."

My blood turned ice cold because the surveillance image beneath the article was me. “What the hell is this?” Marcus’s expression turned grim. “They’re framing you.” My pulse exploded as Selena’s voice shook through the phone. “Kael, the police came asking questions about you.”

Everything tilted sideways, and I grabbed the table hard enough to steady myself. This couldn’t be happening; not only was I being hunted by criminal empires, but the police thought I was involved in murder too?

Selena sounded terrified. “What’s going on?” I looked at Raven and Marcus, but neither of them looked surprised. That terrified me when I realized this was normal to them. People are manipulating the media, controlling police, and destroying lives. This was what real power looked like, and suddenly I understood that there was no going back anymore because even if I survived tonight, my old life was already dead.

“Kael?” Selena whispered again. “Talk to me.” Before I could answer, Marcus suddenly went completely still, and his eyes locked onto one of the security monitors near the warehouse entrance. His face darkened, and Raven noticed immediately. “What?”

Marcus spoke too quietly. “We’ve been followed.” Ice flooded my veins as the monitor showed headlights outside the warehouse.

There were more than ten black vehicles, and standing beside the first SUV, Lucien Varez slowly removed his gloves while staring directly at the security camera like he knew I was watching him. To my horror, he smiled, and the warehouse lights suddenly went out.