CHAPTER 133: THE FRACTURE BENEATH THE ANCHOR

The compound slept lightly.

Not in peace.

Not in safety.

Like soldiers resting between waves of war, knowing the next blow could fall without warning.

The storm outside had thinned, but the sky remained a deadened gray. No stars. No moon. Only clouds that seemed to hover lower than nature intended, heavy with the echo of something watching from above.

Inside the suite, the air was warm from candlelight, soft, and almost gentle. But beneath that warmth, the undercurrent of power pulsed in quiet rhythm through the room, the lingering aftershock of the vow that bound Luca and Aria together.

Luca slept first.

He never slept deeply. Never peacefully. But exhaustion had finally dragged him into a heavy, dreamless quiet, his chest rising and falling in slow, controlled rhythm.

Aria watched him.

Not out of fear.

Out of something deeper.

She traced the curve of his jaw with her gaze, the faint tension in his brow even at rest, and the way his fingers curled around her hip protectively even in unconsciousness.

No threat could stop that instinct.

Not even the Patron.

Her hand slid gently over her belly. The baby moved softly beneath her palm, a slow roll, calm but awake. Like she sensed her parents’ presence and found comfort in it.

Aria whispered, "I know. He will try again."

The baby shifted.

Aria laid her head against Luca’s chest, listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat. "But he will not break us."

Her eyes drifted closed.

She didn’t mean to sleep.

Didn’t think she actually could.

But sleep caught her gently, easing her into a dark, warm drift. Her lips still touched Luca’s skin when her breathing deepened.

Minutes passed.

Or hours.

Time blurred.

And then...

Aria’s dreams changed.

They darkened.

Shifted.

The ground beneath her turned cold.

Fog swirled around her ankles, curling like fingers pulling gently at her skin. She tried to step back, but her feet did not move. The world around her dissolved into shades of gray and gold.

Then she heard it.

The voice.

Not violent.

Not furious.

Something worse.

Calm.

Aria.

She froze.

Her breath caught in her dream.

No.

She tried to run.

Tried to call Luca’s name.

Tried to open her eyes.

Her body did not respond.

Aria.

He stepped from the fog.

Not fully formed.

Not flesh.

Not spirit.

Something in between.

The Patron’s shape was a man’s but stretched thin, the fog clinging to him like a second skin. His eyes glowed with pale gold, colder than the lightning that followed him.

Aria forced herself to lift her chin. "You cannot reach me."

The Patron smiled. "I do not need to reach you."

"You cannot break the vow."

"Oh, little bearer," he whispered, "I do not need to break you."

The fog curled around his feet, shifting like smoke pulled by a breeze unseen.

"I only need to break your anchor."

Aria felt the world tilt.

The fog thickened.

Golden sparks flickered across the ground.

A name tore through the air like a blade.

Luca.

Aria’s dream-self staggered. "Stay away from him."

"He gives you strength," the Patron said. "But he also creates a fracture. A weakness."

"No."

"Yes."

His voice wrapped around her like a tightening serpent.

"The oath bound your power to him. That is what you wanted. But the bloodline is old, child. Older than vows. Older than love. And anchors can break."

Her body chilled. "I do not believe you."

"You will."

His eyes gleamed.

"You should never have tied yourself to a mortal."

A pulse ripped through the dream.

A shockwave.

A violent tremor that sent cracks through the fog beneath her.

Aria gasped. "Luca."

"Look," the Patron said softly.

And the fog parted.

Aria saw Luca.

Not sleeping.

Not peaceful.

Standing alone in a hallway.

Lit by dim emergency lights flickering in and out.

His hand was pressed against the wall as if trying to steady himself.

His breath shook.

His eyes were terrified.

Aria screamed his name.

But in the dream, her voice made no sound.

The Patron leaned close, whispering against her ear like poison.

"He feels the bond. But he does not know how to hold it. He is drowning in what you gave him."

Aria shook her head violently. "No. He is strong. He can handle it."

"Perhaps he could," the Patron murmured. "If he carried only himself."

Aria’s pulse rushed, deafening.

"What do you mean?"

"You gave him part of your burden," he said quietly. "When you bound your souls. You pushed the darkness you could not hold into him."

Her stomach dropped.

"He carries your weight," the Patron whispered. "And it is crushing him."

The fog dissolved.

Aria shot awake.

Her body lurched upward so fast the world spun.

Luca jolted beside her, breath sharp. He grabbed her arms instantly. "Aria. What happened?"

She stared at him in horror.

The dream didn’t fade.

His face was pale.

Sweat lined his forehead.

His breathing was ragged.

He swayed slightly as he sat up.

Aria covered her mouth with both hands. "Luca... your chest."

He looked down.

A faint golden mark burned over his heart.

The same sigil Vescari had drawn on her.

But on him the lines cracked.

Fractured.

As if strained to the breaking point.

Aria reached out with shaking fingers. "Did it hurt?"

He nodded slowly. "I felt... pressure. Like someone pushing on my ribs. Couldn’t breathe for a moment."

She recoiled.

The Patron’s voice echoed in her memory.

He carries your weight.

And it is crushing him.

Aria’s eyes filled with tears. "Luca... I am hurting you."

"No." He took her face in his hands. "No. You are not."

"Luca, the vow. The bond. It takes strength from both sides."

"And I have strength."

She shook her head desperately. "But I have more bloodline than you can carry."

He leaned closer. "Aria. Listen to me."

The ground trembled beneath the bed.

Just once.

But enough to send a jolt through both of them.

Aria’s breath hitched. "He is here again."

Luca grabbed her hand. "We are together. He cannot break us."

"But he can break you," she whispered. "He is targeting you."

The candles trembled.

A deep crack echoed in the hallway outside.

Aria’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Luca. I think I pushed too much into you. I think I gave you more than your body can hold."

"You gave me exactly what I needed," he said.

But hesitation flickered in his eyes.

A flicker Aria didn’t miss.

"Luca," she whispered, "tell me the truth."

He held her gaze.

Slowly.

And the truth broke out of him in a strained whisper.

"It is heavy."

Aria covered her mouth again.

The tremor shook the floorboards.

Nico’s voice echoed from the hallway. "Boss. We have movement in the west wing."

Another tremor.

Rosetta yelled something.

Vescari shouted orders.

But Aria did not hear any of it.

Her eyes were locked on Luca.

Her anchor.

Her strength.

And now...

Her weakness.

The Patron was right.

Her bond had made Luca vulnerable.

And the Patron would crawl through that fracture until it shattered.

Aria grabbed Luca’s face, her voice desperate. "We have to fix it."

He kissed her forehead. "We will."

"No," she insisted. "Luca. Listen to me. If the bloodline’s weight crushes you, I will lose you. And if I lose you..."

Her voice broke.

The baby kicked sharply.

A warning.

Luca pulled Aria into his arms. "You will not lose me."

"But the Patron is aiming for you now."

"Let him."

"That is not bravery," she cried. "That is death."

Another tremor shook the building.

Footsteps thundered in the hallway.

Then a scream.

A man’s scream.

The Patron had entered the compound.

Not physically.

Not fully.

But enough.

Luca stood up, pulling Aria with him. "We move. Now."

Aria gripped his arm. "Luca. If he breaks you, he breaks me. The oath will collapse. The shield will collapse. Everything will collapse."

"I know."

"So what do we do?" she choked out.

Luca looked toward the door. Toward the sounds of chaos outside.

"We fight him."

Aria gripped his hand. "Together."

"Always."

But in her chest, Aria felt something else.

A pulse.

A warning.

A truth from the bloodline.

To save Luca...

She might have to do the unthinkable.

Break the vow she had spoken

and bear the burden alone.