Run With The Devil

Alone Again

Lyras pov

I locked myself in the room the moment I sped away from Angelo, my heart still pounding from the awkward encounter. The door clicked shut behind me, sealing me into a world that felt both too big and too foreign. My new room-large and lavish-was like nothing I had ever seen before. It should've felt like an upgrade from the sterile cages I had known all my life, but instead, it felt like another kind of prison.

I paced the length of the room, the silence almost deafening. The bed-an actual bed-stood in the center, draped in soft, expensive-looking sheets. It was the first bed I'd ever had that wasn't a cold, metal slab with restraints. I stood there for a moment, staring at it, trying to decide if I should sit down or keep pacing.

Eventually, I gave in, collapsing onto the bed. It was too soft, sinking under my weight like a cloud. I stared up at the ceiling, my mind spinning. I could feel my chest tightening with a strange sense of guilt, like I didn't deserve something this comfortable. Not after everything. I'd spent so long running, fighting to survive, that comfort felt alien-wrong.

The room itself was huge, with a wardrobe off to the side. I had checked it earlier after the tour, but there was nothing inside. No clothes, no personal belongings, nothing that made it feel like it was meant for me. Just empty space. The kind of space that made you feel small and insignificant.

I didn't need the wardrobe, though. I had never owned anything in my life. The idea of possessions was as foreign as this mansion. What would I even wear, anyway? I was always just given something to cover myself. I had never had the luxury of choosing.

The bathroom was another oddity. It was attached to the bedroom, shining and clean, but also empty of any necessities. No toothbrush, no soap, no towels. And nothing a woman might need. I didn't even know what I was supposed to have or what to do with most of it, but the absence still hit me in a way I hadn't expected.

It was like they hadn't even thought of me as a person yet. Just an asset they pulled out of the lab. A subject, moved from one cage to another.

I curled up on the bed, staring at the wall. Time seemed to stretch, the hours passing by without me even noticing. I didn't leave the room. I didn't want to. What was the point? Deon's men were everywhere, and I could feel their stares whenever I walked by. I didn't want their eyes on me again, watching me like they were trying to figure out what I was. Even Angelo, with his polite smile and soft words, had made me feel like I was being examined.

My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten all day. I had no idea how things worked here-if someone would bring me food or if I was supposed to ask for it. Back in the lab, meals were just... given. No choice, no options. Just sustenance to keep us alive long enough to be tested again.

Here, though? I didn't even know where the kitchen was.

I glanced at the door but quickly dismissed the idea of leaving. The thought of running into more of Deon's men, or even Deon himself, made my skin crawl. I wasn't ready for that yet. I wasn't ready for any of this.

I curled tighter into a ball, pulling my knees to my chest. The room was too big. The bed was too soft. Everything was too much, and I didn't know how to handle it. I didn't belong here.

I didn't belong anywhere.

Deons pov

I sat at my desk, tapping my fingers lightly against the wood. The early morning sun filtered through the large windows, casting long shadows across the room. I had spent most of the night going through files, piecing together whatever scraps of information I could find about the lab and its connection to Lyra. There wasn't much-just vague references to experiments, shell companies, and dead ends. Typical for something so off the grid.

Lyra had stayed locked in her room the entire day yesterday, not that I blamed her. Angelo had given me a brief report-she wasn't talking, wasn't interacting, just hiding away in that room like she couldn't handle being outside the lab. It was understandable. Freedom wasn't something she was used to. But locking herself away wasn't going to help her either.

I ran a hand through my hair and reached for my phone. If I was going to keep her under my roof, I had to make sure she had everything she needed. She was in a new world now, and she couldn't live like she was still a lab experiment.

I scrolled through my contacts until I found Harper's number. She was one of my most trusted associates, and more importantly, she knew how to handle situations that required a bit of finesse. If anyone could take care of this, it was her.

The phone rang twice before she picked up. "Deon," Harper said, her voice sharp but respectful, as always. "What can I do for you?"

"I need you to go shopping," I said, cutting straight to the point. "For Lyra. She's in her room, and I doubt she'll come out on her own. Get her everything she might need. Clothes, shoes, and the necessities. Whatever you think a young woman would want."

There was a brief pause on the other end, the sound of Harper scribbling something down. "Got it. Any specific preferences?"

"She doesn't have preferences," I replied, leaning back in my chair. "She's been in a lab her whole life. She'll need everything-basic hygiene products, makeup if she wants it, anything a woman needs to feel human."

"I see," Harper said, her tone more thoughtful now. "I'll get everything she'll need. Size for the clothes?"

"I'll send her measurements over to you," I said, already pulling up the file with the information. "And make sure it's a variety of things. She's not the type who's going to know what she likes yet, but give her options."

"Understood," Harper replied. "I'll take care of it. Anything else?"

I paused for a moment, thinking. "Make sure it's done discreetly. She's still... adjusting. Don't overwhelm her. Just bring everything here, and I'll have someone get it to her room."

Harper's tone softened slightly. "You're looking out for her."

"She's not used to this world, Harper," I said flatly. "She's been treated like an object for her whole life. I'm not about to make that mistake."

Harper didn't respond right away, but I could hear the respect in her silence. "I'll handle it. You'll have everything by the afternoon."

"Good." I ended the call, placing the phone down on my desk.

I turned back toward the window, watching the city stir to life. Lyra was a puzzle, one that wasn't going to be solved overnight. But she was here, under my protection now, and I wasn't going to let her slip through the cracks. The lab might have tried to control her, break her, but they didn't understand what they had.

She was stronger than they knew. Stronger than she knew.

But she couldn't survive this world on speed alone. Not in my world, where loyalty, power, and trust mattered just as much as any ability. She needed to learn how to live-how to be more than just 019, more than just a number.

And if I was going to make sure she didn't get swallowed up by the weight of her past, then she needed to start with the basics. Comfort, dignity, the small things that made a person feel human again.

I took another drag from my cigarette, the smoke curling lazily in the air.

It was a start.