– Damien’s POV

The moment Damien stepped inside, the air shifted.

It was strange how some places never changed. The high ceilings, the rich mahogany floors, the subtle scent of aged leather and expensive cigars. He had walked through these halls as a boy, trained here as a young soldier, bled and laughed alongside the man standing before him.

Sebastian Vasiliev.

Time had sharpened him. His cold features were even more chiseled, his predatory stance unchanged. There was something almost amused in his eyes, but Damien knew better. The tension between them was thick enough to suffocate.

They had been brothers once. Now, they were rivals bound by old wounds and new grudges.

Damien’s gaze flickered past him. Where is she?

Sebastian seemed to catch the thought before he could voice it. His smirk was lazy, taunting. "Valarie’s resting. She was... quite exhausted."

Damien clenched his jaw. He didn’t have time for Sebastian’s games. "I want to see her."

Sebastian tilted his head, mockingly thoughtful. "You came so quickly. I expected you to hesitate before stepping into my home. Didn’t think you’d trust me so easily."

Damien scoffed. "I don’t trust you."

"Then why are you here?"

"You know why."

Sebastian’s lips curled into a slow smirk. "Because despite everything, you know I’d never let anything happen to her."

Damien hated that he was right.

He had spent half his life trying to despise this man, yet Sebastian was the one who had saved his sister-in-law.

And that unsettled him more than he liked.

The silence stretched between them, crackling like a live wire.

Then, Sebastian turned, leading him through the grand corridors. "Come."

Damien followed, his sharp eyes scanning the space. He could feel Luca’s anxious presence behind him, the weight of his husband’s unspoken worries pressing into him.

They stopped before a heavy wooden door.

Sebastian pushed it open, revealing a dimly lit room.

And there she was.

Valarie Ivanov.

She lay on a king-sized bed, her dark hair a tangled mess against the silk pillows. The covers barely concealed the bruises shadowing her skin. The sight made something deep in Damien tighten.

Luca gasped softly, rushing past him. "Val!"

She stirred at the sound of his voice, eyelids fluttering open. A weak but familiar smirk touched her lips. "Took you long enough , brat.."

Damien exhaled, stepping inside.

"You reckless idiot," he muttered, but there was no real bite in his voice.

She chuckled weakly. "Nice to see you too."

Luca’s hands trembled as he touched her shoulder, eyes filled with worry. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Her gaze flickered, something dark crossing her features. "Mikhail happened."

Damien stilled. His blood ran cold.

Sebastian’s expression barely changed, but the room felt heavier, darker.

Luca’s breath hitched. "But... you’re safe now."

Valarie hummed, shifting slightly. "Not thanks to my brilliant planning." Her eyes slid to Sebastian. "He saved me."

Damien hated how those words sat in his chest.

Sebastian leaned casually against the doorway, arms crossed. "She fought like hell, though. Almost didn’t need me."

Valarie scoffed. "Liar."

Damien finally spoke. "What does Mikhail want?"

Silence.

Then Valarie’s voice dropped, quiet and sharp. "He wanted me broken. Elijah--- he.."

Luca’s grip on her hand tightened. Damien felt a slow, simmering rage coil inside him.

Sebastian watched him, his expression unreadable. "He failed," he said simply.

Damien’s gaze darkened. "Not for long."

Because if Mikhail thought he could lay a hand on Ivanov siblings and live—

He was sorely mistaken.

*****

While Luca fussed over Valarie, their quiet murmurs filling the room with warmth, Damien’s eyes wandered.

It had been years since he’d last stepped foot in this estate, and yet, nothing about it felt unfamiliar. The rich, dark wood of the bookshelves, the scent of aged whiskey, the subtle flicker of candlelight—everything was the same, preserved as though time itself had dared not touch it.

And then he saw it.

An old dagger, encased in glass, mounted on the far wall.

His feet moved on their own, drawn toward it like a phantom from his past.

The blade was slightly curved, its hilt wrapped in worn leather. A small insignia was carved into the steel—the mark of their brotherhood.

The last time he’d held this dagger, his hands had been bloody.

"Still admire it after all these years?"

A deep, amused voice broke through his thoughts.

Damien didn’t turn. He didn’t need to. He could feel Sebastian’s presence behind him, lounging against the doorframe like he owned the world.

"You kept it," Damien muttered.

Sebastian’s smirk curled in his voice. "Of course. A gift from my dearest childhood friend? How could I part with it?"

Damien exhaled sharply. "Don’t mock me."

Sebastian stepped closer, his voice lowering. "Would I do that?"

Damien turned his head slightly, shooting him a sharp look. "Always."

Sebastian chuckled. "Fair enough."

There was something in his tone, something almost… nostalgic.

Damien glanced back at the dagger, his reflection staring back at him through the glass. "We were idiots back then."

Sebastian hummed, stepping beside him. "No. We were untouchable."

A flicker of memory—two boys, side by side, blades drawn, grinning through bloodied lips.

Damien’s jaw tightened. "And now?"

Sebastian’s smirk didn’t waver. "Now we’re kings of different kingdoms."

A long silence stretched between them.

Finally, Sebastian tilted his head. "You regret it?"

Damien didn’t answer immediately. His fingers itched to touch the dagger, to hold a piece of his past just once more.

Instead, he let out a quiet breath. "Does it matter?"

Sebastian studied him for a moment before chuckling. "No. I suppose it doesn’t."

But there was something in his voice. Something unreadable.

Damien finally turned to face him fully. "Why did you call me here, Sebastian? Really."

Sebastian’s smirk faltered, just for a second. His gaze flickered toward the doorway where Valarie lay, Luca still whispering softly to her.

And for the first time in years—

Damien saw something in Sebastian’s eyes that he hadn’t seen since they were boys.

Something raw. Something real.

Possession.

Damien narrowed his eyes. "You’re in love with her."

Sebastian’s smirk returned, but this time, it was different. Darker.

"Love?" He scoffed. "Such a weak word for what I feel."

Damien’s stomach twisted.

Because he knew exactly what that meant.

The feeling he has for his Luca.

*******