Chapter 175

• Lucia's POV
• We holed up in this old barn that smelled like hay and cow shit, the kind of place you’d miss if you blinked. Rain hammered the tin roof, steady and loud, while Mateo played quiet with his stuffed bear on a blanket. I kept replaying Claire’s words.. “Mateo’s the key”.. and my stomach wouldn’t stop twisting. Elena sat in the corner, pale as milk, staring at my baby brother like he was a bomb. Finally she spoke, voice barely there. “Victor… he said Mateo’s birth was special. Broker experiments… maybe genetic stuff.” My head snapped up. “What?” The word came out sharp, ugly. She wouldn’t look at me. “He hinted the kid was… built different. Stronger, smarter. For the empire.” Horror slammed into me. My son. My little boy. “You knew and said nothing?” I choked, tears hot. I’d failed him.. carried him, nursed him, sang him to sleep.. and Victor had touched him before he even drew breath. Guilt crushed me.
• Sofia scooted closer to Mateo, wrapping her arms around him like a shield. “Nobody’s taking him,” she growled, eyes fierce but wet. My heart cracked.. she was just a kid herself, but ready to fight the world. Ryan lay on a pile of sacks, fever burning him up, skin hot to the touch. “Lucia…” he rasped, reaching for me. I dropped beside him, pressing a wet cloth to his forehead. “I’m here.” His hand found my neck, pulled me down. The kiss was slow, desperate, tasting of sweat and fear, but it grounded me. His lips moved against mine, shaky. “You’re everything,” he whispered. I kissed him deeper, hands sliding under his shirt, feeling his heart hammer. Steamy, messy, perfect. In that moment we weren’t running.. we were us.