Lussaria; Her Final Blade

chapter 11

It was late.

too late for Rosa to be wandering around, but she couldn't help it. Her heart yearned for an answer an explanation, a real explanation.

Rosa stepped out of the room, her heart still pounding from the intensity of the conversation with Nolan. His cryptic words swirled in her head as she made her way down the narrow hallway. The house was dark, warm and smelled of blood and secrets. As she passed a half-open door, she glimpsed a room filled with shelves and racks, gleaming with steel and metal.

The weapons room.

She hesitated at the entrance, her breath hitching as she saw Nolan standing near a workbench, leaning over a map with two other people. One was a striking woman with blonde hair and sharp features, her lips painted a deep red that made her beauty almost intimidating. Rosa recognized her from that night, she was seated beside Nolan as he watched her dance—Sonia, the woman hanged around Nolan, too close for comfort.

Next to her, another figure loomed—Ander. A large man, all muscles and barely restrained aggression. His cold eyes swept over Rosa the moment she stepped into the room, narrowing in immediate suspicion. He shifted closer to Nolan like his protector and someone who clearly didn’t trust Rosa. He had made that clear from the moment she stepped into the room

The moment Rosa entered, the tension in the room sharpened. Ander shifted his stance, his hand moving subtly toward the blade strapped to his side, while Sonia raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk.

“Well, look who decided to join us,” Sonia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she leaned back against the table. “Getting bored of your cozy little prison?”

Rosa ignored her, her eyes flicking to Nolan. He was the only one who didn’t seem surprised or unsettled by her presence. If anything, he looked almost relieved. “You said you’d explain everything,” Rosa said, folding her arms, her voice steady but laced with suspicion.

“We’re in the middle of something,” Ander growled, stepping forward as if to block her path. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“I go where I want,” Rosa shot back, holding his gaze defiantly. “You’re not going to stop me.”

Nolan held up a hand, stopping Ander before things escalated. “She’s right, Ander. She has a right to know.” He turned to Rosa, his eyes softening for just a moment. “Come in. We’re preparing for what’s next.”

Rosa moved cautiously deeper into the room, feeling Sonia’s eyes on her every step of the way. The woman’s stare was unsettling, like she was sizing Rosa up, deciding whether she was a threat or not. And then there was the way she stood so close to Nolan, her hand lightly brushing his arm as if by accident. Rosa’s jaw tightened.

“So, you’re bringing her into this now?” Sonia asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “You sure she’s up for it?”

“She doesn’t need your approval, Sonia,” Nolan replied coolly, without glancing at her. Sonia fought to roll her eyes and folded her arm instead He turned his attention fully to Rosa. “We’ve been tracking movements from the opposing faction. They’re preparing for a strike—on you.”

Rosa’s stomach twisted, but she kept her expression neutral. “Why me? Why now?”

“They know who you are,” Ander growled, his gaze hard as steel. “Your uncle’s games have made you a target. We don’t know how deep this goes, but if they get to you, it’s over.”

“And you don’t trust me,” Rosa said, glaring back at him. “I can see it in your eyes.”

“You’re damn right I don’t trust you,” Ander snapped. “For all we know, you’re just another pawn in your uncle’s schemes, or maybe you might be in on this with him, and this is another one of his plans to make sure both houses fall"

“Ander, enough,” Nolan said sharply. “We don’t have time for this. If we’re going to survive what’s coming, we need to work together.”

Sonia’s smirk widened as she watched the exchange. “Oh, don’t worry about Ander, darling,” she purred, her voice sickeningly sweet. “He’s just protective. Especially of Nolan.”

Rosa’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what this is? You’re all playing protector, while I’m the helpless damsel?”

Sonia tilted her head, her smile almost mocking. “If the shoe fits…”

Rosa clenched her fists, biting back the retort that burned on her tongue. She turned to Nolan, ignoring Sonia and Ander for the moment. “What’s the plan?”

Nolan stepped forward, placing a hand on the map spread across the table. “There’s a safehouse about twenty miles from here. We need to get you there before they make their move. It’s heavily fortified, and no one knows about it. But we’ll need to go through hostile territory to get there.”

“And you’re sure it’s safe?” Rosa asked, her voice steady despite the knot of anxiety forming in her chest.

“As safe as it gets,” Nolan replied. “But you need to trust us. All of us.”

Rosa glanced at Sonia, who was still watching her with that infuriating smirk, then at Ander, whose eyes hadn’t left her since she walked in. Trust? That was asking a lot. But right now, she didn’t have many choices.

“Fine,” she said, her voice cold. “But I’m not sitting on the sidelines. If I’m going, I’m fighting.”

Ander scoffed, shaking his head. “We’ll see about that.”

Sonia just chuckled, her fingers idly tracing the handle of a blade on the table. “This should be fun.”

Nolan met Rosa’s gaze, his expression unreadable. “We leave at dawn. Get some rest. You’ll need it.”

As Rosa turned to leave the room, she felt the weight of their stares on her back, especially Sonia’s. There was more going on between these people than Nolan was letting on, and Rosa had a sinking feeling she was walking into a situation far more complicated than she realized.

But one thing was clear: Nolan was the only one she could count on.

For now.