🖤 Contract of Blood and Love 🖤
Cold air filled the abandoned warehouse.
The dim light flickered above as shadows danced across the walls.
Bound to the chair, Anaya Sen struggled to keep her eyes open.
Her head felt heavy.
The effect of the injection was still running through her veins.
Her vision blurred again and again.
But one thought kept her awake—
He will come.
No matter how dangerous it was…
No matter how impossible it seemed…
She believed it.
"Aryan…" she whispered weakly.
Footsteps echoed in the distance.
Heavy.
Slow.
Not hurried.
Not panicked.
Calculated.
The guards standing outside frowned.
"Did you hear that?"
Before anyone could react—
BANG!
The main door burst open.
Gunfire exploded across the warehouse.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Men shouted.
Bullets hit metal walls.
Lights flickered violently.
Inside the room, Anaya's head lifted weakly.
Her heart skipped.
That presence…
That energy…
She knew it.
Within seconds—
Three guards fell to the ground.
Another tried to aim—
But was thrown back with brutal force.
And then—
He stepped in.
Aryan Malhotra.
His black coat slightly torn.
Blood on his hands.
Eyes completely cold.
Like a storm had taken human form.
Anaya's breath hitched.
"Aryan…"
For a moment—
Just one moment—
His eyes softened when they landed on her.
But then they hardened again.
He walked toward her slowly.
Each step filled with controlled rage.
A guard rushed from behind—
Aryan didn't even turn.
He grabbed the man mid-attack and slammed him into the wall.
Silence followed.
Then he reached her.
His hands moved quickly, breaking the chains.
The metal snapped.
As soon as she was free—
Anaya collapsed forward.
Her strength gave out.
But she didn't fall.
Because Aryan caught her instantly.
His arms wrapped around her tightly.
Holding her like she might disappear again.
"You're safe," he said, his voice low but firm.
Anaya clutched his shirt weakly.
"You came…"
Aryan's grip tightened slightly.
"I told you…"
His voice dropped near her ear.
"…I would."
For a moment, the world around them didn't exist.
No enemies.
No war.
Just them.
Anaya buried her face into his chest.
Her breathing uneven.
"I thought…"
She couldn't finish.
Aryan gently lifted her face.
His thumb brushed away the tear that had slipped down.
"I'm here."
Those two words broke something inside her.
All the fear.
All the strength she was holding onto.
It collapsed at once.
Her fingers tightened around him.
"You're hurt…" she whispered.
Aryan didn't care.
Not right now.
Nothing mattered except one thing.
She was alive.
Suddenly—
Slow clapping echoed in the room.
Both of them turned.
Standing at the far end…
Completely calm…
Was Viktor Dragovich.
"Beautiful," he said.
"A reunion worth watching."
Aryan's expression turned deadly again.
His arm moved slightly—
Positioning Anaya behind him.
Protecting her.
Always.
"This ends tonight," Aryan said coldly.
Viktor smiled.
"Oh, it already has."
Before Aryan could react—
The lights suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Then—
A loud explosion shook the entire building.
BOOM!
Anaya screamed softly as the ground trembled.
Aryan pulled her closer.
Shielding her body completely.
Debris fell around them.
The warehouse started collapsing.
"Move!" Aryan shouted.
He lifted Anaya in his arms without hesitation.
Running through the chaos.
Fire spreading.
Metal crashing.
Everything falling apart.
They barely made it outside—
Just as the building collapsed behind them.
Flames rose into the sky.
Anaya held onto him tightly.
Her heart still racing.
But now…
Not from fear.
From something deeper.
Aryan gently placed her down.
His hand still holding her arm.
As if he couldn't let go.
Their eyes met.
Everything unsaid passed between them.
But then—
Anaya whispered something that changed everything.
"Aryan…"
He looked at her.
She hesitated.
Then said softly—
"I was scared of losing you."
For the first time—
Aryan didn't respond immediately.
His gaze softened slightly.
And then he said something he had never said before.
"Not before me."
His voice was quiet.
But filled with something powerful.
"Nothing happens to you… not before me."