The Fallen Angel

62. "Shadow of Vengeance"

The evening sun bathed the landscape in a soft, warm glow, casting long shadows across the earth. It was one of those rare moments where Ero and I found peace, a fleeting escape from the storm that had shaped our lives. His hand was warm in mine, grounding me, and for a moment, the world outside seemed distant.

But peace, as I had learned, was fragile.

I sensed him before I saw him. A shadow creeping into our sanctuary. And then he stepped into the light—Adrian. The air around us shifted, charged with the tension of old wounds and unsaid words. I didn’t need to look at Ero to feel the change in him. His body tensed, every muscle coiled as if ready to strike. I knew what Adrian’s presence meant.

Ero stood, placing himself between me and the man who had once been his closest ally. "Adrian," Ero growled, the weight of years of betrayal heavy in his voice. "I thought I’d made it clear what would happen if you showed your face again."

I looked at Adrian, his figure tall and menacing, but it was his eyes that unsettled me the most—eyes that carried the glint of someone who thrived on chaos. He had come here for more than just words. His lips curled into a smirk, as though this was all some game to him. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly stay away, not after hearing the news.”

A knot of unease tightened in my chest. “What news?” Ero’s voice was a low rumble, filled with barely restrained rage.

Adrian’s gaze slid over to me, cold and calculating. “That you’ve gone soft, Ero. The mighty Ero, the terror of men, brought to his knees by a mortal woman.” His words slithered through the air, dripping with mockery. “How quaint.”

My heart pounded, not out of fear for myself, but for Ero. I knew the weight his past carried on his shoulders, and I could see it now, stirring beneath the surface. He clenched his fists, and I feared what might happen if he let that anger consume him again. I stepped forward, refusing to let Adrian twist the knife any deeper.

“Whatever business you have with Ero, it no longer matters,” I said, my voice firm and steady. “We’ve moved beyond the past.”

Adrian's laughter echoed like a death knell. “Moved beyond the past? Do you really believe that?” He began to circle us, his steps slow, deliberate, as if savoring the tension in the air. “No, my dear Isabelle, the past doesn’t let go so easily. Ero may try to run from it, but it’s in his blood. Vengeance is his legacy.”

I felt Ero’s anger rising beside me, like a storm building on the horizon. Adrian’s words were designed to cut deep, to pull at the parts of Ero that he had spent so long trying to leave behind. I couldn’t let him fall into that trap.

“You don’t know us,” I said, my voice sharp. “You don’t understand what we’ve fought for.”

Adrian’s eyes flickered with amusement as he stopped in front of us, his smile darkening. “Oh, but I do. I know that underneath this love story, there’s still a monster waiting to be unleashed. Ero’s thirst for revenge isn’t gone; it’s only been buried. And when it resurfaces—because it will—it won’t just destroy him. It will destroy you.”

I could feel Ero on the verge of losing control. His fists trembled at his sides, and his breath came in short, ragged bursts. I had to do something, say something, anything to keep Adrian from winning this twisted game.

But Adrian wasn’t done. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, though the words cut like blades. “Sooner or later, Ero will have to choose. And when he does, the blood on his hands won’t just be mine. It’ll be yours too.”

My heart ached as I saw the turmoil in Ero’s eyes. The conflict. The doubt. I hated Adrian for doing this to him, for pulling him back into a darkness he had fought so hard to leave behind. I could see the war waging inside Ero—between the love we had built and the vengeance that had once defined him.

With one last smirk, Adrian turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving a suffocating silence in his wake.

I watched Ero, standing frozen, his chest heaving with the weight of it all. I reached out, placing my hand on his arm, hoping to anchor him to the present, to me. “Don’t listen to him, Ero,” I whispered. “He’s trying to tear us apart.”

He turned to me then, his eyes dark with uncertainty. “What if he’s right, Isabelle? What if… I can’t escape who I am? What if the darkness inside me is stronger than what we have?”

His words shattered something inside me. I refused to let Adrian’s venom seep into our hearts. “No,” I said firmly, stepping closer until we were face to face. “You are not the man you once were, Ero. I know it. You know it. We’ve come too far for this. What we have—what we’ve built—is stronger than anything he can throw at us.”

I could see the doubt still lingering in his eyes, but I refused to let him fall into the despair that Adrian wanted. I had to believe, for both of us, that our love was enough to conquer whatever darkness was left.

Ero closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as if trying to steady himself. “I want to believe you, Isabelle. I do. But Adrian… he’s right about one thing. I’ve been running from my past. And now, it’s caught up with me.”

I shook my head, my voice barely above a whisper. “We’ll face it together, Ero. Whatever comes, we’ll face it together.”

As the night closed in around us, I held onto him tightly, hoping that our love could weather the storm Adrian had stirred. The battle for Ero’s soul wasn’t over. But as long as I was by his side, I would fight for him—for us—no matter what.