Randolf hadn't expected the warmth of Mia's fingers on his wrist to ignite something so primal. His pulse surged — instinct, hunger, longing — yet he forced himself still.
Not like this. Not when she's hurting.
He drew a slow breath and softened his voice.
"Mia... we should go home."
Mia blinked at him, unsteady. Her smile was loose, her pupils glassy — a heartbreak disguised as courage.
"Good idea," she slurred. "Let's go home and make terrible decisions."
Randolf swallowed hard.
"You're going home to rest. Nothing more."
She scoffed — or tried to. It came out as a half-laugh, half-sob.
"I want to forget. I want to feel something good for once."
Her knees buckled. Randolf caught her, lifting her gently.
She deserves tenderness, not a moment she won't remember.
He carried her to the car, then through the quiet halls of Dagon Mansion. Mia muttered against his chest:
"My room's that way. Come with me."
"Only to make sure you're safe," he whispered.
In her room, he laid her on the bed. She clung to his shirt, pulling him down with surprising strength. Their lips brushed — not passion, but desperation.
Randolf tore himself away, breath ragged.
"Mia," he murmured, "when we kiss, I want you to know it. To want it. Not like this."
Her eyes fluttered closed before she could answer. Sleep swallowed her whole.
He removed her shoes, tucked a blanket around her, and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek — reverent, aching.
If loving you damns me, I'll accept it.
But not tonight.
As he stepped out, he nearly collided with Xena.
She crossed her arms, eyebrow raised.
"You look like someone who just passed a moral test."
Randolf exhaled. "She was drunk. I brought her home. That's all."
Xena nodded, relief mixing with amusement. "Good. Because Mia doesn't drink. Something really hit her today."
They moved to the living room.
"It's about Ryan, isn't it?" Randolf asked.
Xena hesitated, then:
"Ryan is in prison. Life sentence."
Randolf stiffened. "And she still loves him."
"More than she knows how to handle," Xena said quietly.
Randolf leaned back, stunned.
"Ryan Dagon... the same one the Dark Dimension whispered about?"
Xena blinked. "You know him?"
"Everyone knew him," Randolf murmured. "A legend. A danger. And yet... charismatic."
A rueful smile touched his lips.
"This family lives between love and chaos."
Xena laughed softly. "Welcome to the Dagons."
Ryan sat curled on the edge of his cot, fists pressed to his temples as memories and guilt tore through him.
Mia with the werewolf.
Scarlett slipping into something dark.
Theo burdened by his sins.
And Alexandra waiting like a storm behind glass.
The whispering in his mind turned vicious:
Monster. You ruin every life you touch.
Ryan's breath fractured.
"Stop— please—"
His cry echoed off concrete as Jeremiah appeared at the bars.
"Keep it down, sir. Guards will come."
Ryan stared ahead, hollow.
"Let them. Maybe I deserve it."
Jeremiah's expression softened — part pity, part fear. Then he disappeared down the corridor.
Theolinda rushed in. When she saw Ryan's exhausted eyes, something inside her shattered.
"Ryan, listen to me," she whispered, gripping his hands. "The man I love isn't this ghost. You fight. You survive. You protect the people you love."
He looked away.
"What if I don't know how anymore?"
Her voice broke.
"Then learn again. For me. For Scarlett and Xena. For Mia — the woman you would die for. And if that isn't enough..."
She pressed his hand to her belly.
"Fight for our child."
Ryan froze. His breath caught — then Theolinda's knees buckled. He caught her before she hit the ground and lifted her to the bench, cupping her face.
"Theo — look at me. Stay with me."
Her lashes fluttered open. His voice shook.
"We're having a baby?"
A trembling smile. "Yes."
Ryan bowed his head against her abdomen, kissing it — a man desperate for redemption and given one final chance.
"I won't fall again," he whispered. "I'll finish the plan. And when I leave this place, I'll be stronger than the monster I used to be."
He looked at her — raw, fragile, determined.
"For all of you. For us."
He lifts his head — eyes burning, steady.
"The plan continues. I get out. And then... we go to the Dark Dimension."
YOU ARE READING
DAGON MANSION
Paranormal(THE DAGON SAGA 2) DAGON MANSION IS THE SEQUEL TO FORESTVALE MANOR, A STORY WITH OVER 4.7 K VIEWS. Mia moves to the mysterious Dagon Mansion, haunted by a long-lost past. With her daughter Scarlett at her side, Mia takes on her inner battle against...
