Signed in Blood: The Price of Secrets

Pt~10 2/2 OBLIGED

Ronan's POV

Adrian and I had received a message from Lilith earlier—a summons to her father's house. I hadn't expected her to assist me so easily. There was something about her presence, an air of intimidation that felt carefully curated. But I could see through it. Beneath that cold exterior, I sensed something else—a guarded warmth, a silent resilience laced with arrogance. She had seen far more than someone her age should have.

Now, I sat in the car, watching the city lights blur past the window as Adrian drove. The others were making their way separately, but he and I were heading there together. His voice cut through the quiet hum of the engine.

"Since Caleb isn't exactly on good terms with you right now, Lilith didn't call him."

The words caught me off guard.

A knowing smirk tugged at his lips before he continued, "She cares about those brothers a lot." Then, with a brief glance in my direction, his expression shifted, laced with concern. "You better tread carefully, Ronan."

I understood what he meant.

The house was nothing more than a burned-out skeleton of its former self. Yellow-black caution tape stretched across its remains, fluttering slightly in the wind. The air was thick with the scent of charred wood and something deeper, something lost. Blue and red markings scarred the floorboards, a silent testimony to an investigation already in motion. Footsteps—faint, ghostly—traced the staircase in stained imprints.

Forensic officers moved carefully, gloved hands collecting what was left—ashes, fragments, the remnants of a past now reduced to evidence.

Evidence they didn't realize had already been destroyed.

I moved with purpose, navigating the debris until I reached the bookshelf—exactly where Nicolai had told me to look. And there it was, the Bible. Beneath its weight, hidden away, lay what I had come for—the key.

The key to the locker she had set up in my house.

Inside that locker was everything—her savings, property papers, stocks. Everything she had left behind.

I grasped the key tightly and turned to leave, but then—

A hallucination.

Or maybe something more.

She was there. My sister. Walking toward me, eyes glistening with unshed tears. I didn't hesitate—I pulled her into an embrace, holding her as tightly as I could. She kissed my cheek, but something was missing.

Her scent.

The scent that always calmed me.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered, voice so soft it barely reached me. "I'm with you. Always."

She was fading. I held her tighter, as if sheer will could keep her here. But it was useless. She slipped through my grasp, her presence thinning like smoke in the wind.

And just before she disappeared entirely, her voice, quiet but laced with something dangerous, echoed in my mind.

"Fuck them up."

"We're here, Ronan."

Adrian's voice grounded me back in reality. The car had stopped. He stepped out first, moving around to open my door.

I exhaled slowly, rubbing away the single tear that had escaped without my permission. My gaze lifted to the house in front of us. Warm lights glowed softly from within, painting a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside me.

Across the driveway, I spotted Leo and Noah stepping out of their own car, heading toward the entrance. Lilith's vehicle was already parked nearby.

I clenched the key in my hand, my grip unwavering.

"I will fuck them up, Mira."

Lilith's POV

Axel and I had arrived earlier than the others.

As we pulled into the familiar neighborhood, a strange nostalgia settled over me. The sight of my childhood home—smaller than I remembered yet still holding the weight of my past—made something tighten in my chest.

"It's been a long time," I murmured, cutting the engine.

Axel, staring toward the distance, seemed lost in thought. His eyes lingered on his headquarters—a looming structure standing a little too far from the comfort of home.

"Have you seen Aunt recently?" I asked, following his gaze.

He exhaled. "Last time I saw her was when you left for your career, and I left for mine... when Mr. Creed passed away." There was a pause. A brief, weighted silence.

I reached for his hand. When our eyes met, I spoke softly. "He loved you. He just showed it a little late."

Axel swallowed, nodding slightly, before squeezing my hand in return. "Just remember why you're getting into this, Lilith," he said. "In a hundred lifetimes, I wouldn't want you to go through something that eats you alive."

I nodded, pushing away the weight of his words as we both stepped out of the car. He turned, heading in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" I called after him, arching a brow.

"Just need to grab some cigarettes. Be right back," he replied, but something about his tone felt... off. Hesitant.

I studied him for a second, then shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

With that, I made my way toward the house.

The moment I stepped inside, my father greeted me with a firm hug.

"How are you holding up?" His voice was the same as always—strong, strict, unwavering.

I smiled, keeping my own voice light. "I'm fine, Dad. How are you and Henry?"

He barely had time to respond before someone else cut in.

"I'm doing great!"

Henry. My brother.

I shot him a middle finger without hesitation before turning back to my father. "Someone's going to surprise you today," I told him, an unconscious smile tugging at my lips. "He came back a few days ago. Helped me, like always."

I didn't realize it then.

Didn't know the way things would unfold.

Didn't see the knives they were hiding behind their backs.

Didn't know they would hurt me in the worst way possible.