The man sitting opposite her smiled dangerously. He flipped his cards over. "You have six hammer cards, little girl. Your chances are very low. I’d start praying if I were you."But Clara didn't pray, she had to find a way out of here, the odds were against her. She noticed a waitress carrying a heavy tray of casino coins and high-stakes cash prizes walking toward a nearby table. As the lady passed by, Clara subtly extended her foot.CRASH.The waitress tripped, and the tray flew out of her hands. Thousands of shiny coins and stacks of bills were splattered across the floor. The room erupted into chaos as the gamblers, blinded by greed, dove to the floor, scrambling to grab whatever they could. The guards moved to restore order, their attention diverted from Clara’s table for just a fraction of a second.It was all she needed. Clara slipped out of her chair, ducking low and weaving through the frantic crowd. She vanished into the service tunnel just as the garbage truck’s engine ro

Clara’s finger wrapped around the shutter button. Click. Click. Click. She had him. The giant with the stone-cold eyes and the massive beard was the center of all her pictures. She was so focused on the lens that she barely noticed the world around her."Hey there, young lady. Haven't seen you around these parts. You're new, aren't you?"The voice was smooth. Clara didn't look away from the camera. "Yes," she answered absentmindedly, her mind calculating the distance between the giant and the truck.The woman standing next to her leaned against the park railing, looking out at the river. She was in her early thirties, dressed in a sharp, casual trench coat. She touched a small earpiece hidden by her hair. "I’ve found her," she whispered into the device. Then, she turned back to Clara with a fake, bright smile. "So tell me, what brings a girl like you to a park so early in the morning?"Clara didn't answer. She was too busy capturing the symbol on the giant's sleeve.Across the river,

The woman didn't even drop her cigar.She stepped inside Clara’s swing and delivered a lightning-fast kick to Clara’s stomach. Clara flew across the room, smashing into a row of wooden cabinets. Files rained down on her as she hit the floor, wheezing and coughing, the air completely gone from her lungs.The woman stood over her, puffing out a cloud of smoke. She looked down at Clara with a mix of pity and professional interest."Your fighting skills are horrible, honestly," she said, tapping the ash off her cigar onto the floor. "Pure street brawling. No discipline. But..." she paused, watching Clara struggle to get back up. "You’ve got potential."Clara coughed, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth as she pushed herself up from the floor. Her vision swam, but the sight of the woman—coolly puffing on her cigar snapped her back. With a scream of defiance, Clara lunged forward again. She threw a barrage of punches, but it was like fighting a shadow. The woman moved with a te

Clara watched the room, her skin crawling. Every corner of the hotel screamed luxury, but the people inside were monsters in human skin. They were drinking, laughing, and shaking hands."Your brother inherited the seat," Valthera concluded, her voice dropping to a low hum. "But someone decided to take him out before he could truly ascend the throne. They didn't just want him gone... they wanted the Dragon seat empty."Valthera stopped at the massive, gilded double doors of the Grand Ballroom. She turned to Clara, her eyes hard and professional. "Stay here in the lobby with the men. Do not move, do not speak to anyone, and for heaven's sake, do not draw attention to yourself. Understood?"Before Clara could protest, Valthera disappeared into the main hall. The heavy doors clicked shut, leaving Clara standing with Kane and Dorian.Clara’s blood was boiling. The people who had orchestrated her brother’s fall were just a few feet away. She took a step toward the doors, her hand reaching f

Inside the Grand Ballroom, Valthera leaned over the table. "It was a Deathshade," Valthera stated, her voice echoing in the sudden silence. "A creature that was sent to execute the Dragon Heir, the head of the Lancaster group."A collective gasp rippled through the room. Madame Fiona’s red lips parted in shock, but Carl Lin narrowed his eyes, his fingers drumming against the table. "There is only one person among us who has summoned him in the past," Valthera continued, her gaze landing on the empty chair at the end of the table. "The Titan Heir, Viktor Volkov. And he is conveniently absent.""The Titan?" Carl Lin hissed, leaning forward. "Why would he risk it? Killing an Heir is the highest treason. The blood-laws forbid it. He’s the strongest of us physically.""Because the Dragon seat is the most powerful position on the Council," Valthera replied. "It has been vacant for years, and Viktor grew tired of waiting for the Lancaster bloodline to fail on its own. He chose to accelerat