CHAPTER HUNDRED AND THIRTY “We are close,” Adrian announced after they had spent over thirty minutes on the road, causing the Commander to look ahead, yet he couldn’t tell where they were headed to.He had nothing to say since their destination was unknown to him, and the only thing he could do was stare silently while he tried to figure out where they were really going. Slowly, Adrian drove into a narrow part, his eyes moving around until he decided to keep them ahead. Next, he was close to the driveway that led to a lovely duplex, and realizing that they were very close to where they were going, the Commander grabbed his weapon even though he knew nothing of what to expect from the encounter.Adrian decided to park the car by the corner, and as soon as he unstrapped his seatbelt after he had unbuckled it, he turned to the Commander and spoke in a low tone. “Whatever you do, make sure you only shoot when necessary.” “Yes, my liege.” Rylan nodded, but his voice was still laced wi

“Let’s just say you are my leverage.” Adrian retorted after a few seconds, looking the lady in the eyes. “I know that Marcus will come looking for you once he is aware that I have you. That’s the only way to flush him out.” Dara gasped, looking Adrian in the face.“We have nothing to do with this, Adrian. You know that…”“I never said that, Dara.” Adrian gave a very quick response, and then he took a deep breath.“But you see…” He paused for a few seconds, looking at the baby he was carrying.“Marcus has plans to wipe away the entire city, kill our mayor, and take over. He has already killed over a hundred soldiers unprovoked, and has stolen our weapons.” Dara’s eyes widened in shock, and just when she thought the tension inside her was not going to get more intense, her heart began to beat so fast that she feared that it was going to break from her chest. “Marcus will not come for us, knowing that you have used us as bait. He is not a fool.”“I never said so.” Adrian cleared his

“Where are you going?!” Marcus asked as soon as he saw what was going on, but Adrian refused to give him a response, increasing his pace.“Adrian!” He bellowed, but it didn’t seem like he was going to be able to get the Shadow Monarch from stopping.Adrian continued moving until he was standing in front of Dara, and then he demanded the baby.“Hand him over, Dara.” He said with a scowl, and when the lady refused to oblige him, he grabbed the child from her with so much force, waking him up in the process. “My son! My baby!” Dara tried to go after Adrian, but he pushed her down effortlessly, causing her to crash on the couch.“No! Adrian! Don’t take my son! I beg you!” She tried to push herself up, but when she realized that her daughter was holding onto her, she couldn’t make any move, turning to look at her. The teenage girl was frightened, and even though it seemed like her older brother was calm, he was worried for his little brother, looking at him with wide eyes.Adrian moved

CHAPTER HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN “Do you know her?” Adrian asked, looking at Dara with wide eyes. “Yes…” The lady inside the vehicle with them nodded, and without saying any other word to the men seated close to her, she grabbed the handle of the door and pulled. Adrian and Rylan watched, wondering what was about to happen. Dara held onto her child as she moved, her steps slow but steady. She took a deep breath, eyes staring at Elara as though her life depended on it. “Elara?” She called out, her voice low and slippery.Elara turned to her at once, eyes wide as soon as she set eyes on her face.“Da…” She stammered, gripped by disbelief.“Dara? Is that you?”“Yes!” Dara nodded in haste, her eyes wide with excitement.“It’s been such a long time, my friend!” She began to inch closer to Elara, her pace increasing as she moved.The other lady soon started to move toward her as well, and before long, there was nothing but a meter space between them. Elara wanted to hug Dara, but the

CHAPTER HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT The Commander nodded, but instead of leaving, he seemed to have something else in mind to say to Adrian, but he didn’t know where to start.“What is it, Commander?” Adrian asked, his tone low and commanding. Rylan cleared his throat, and when it seemed like that was not going to be enough, he took a deep breath which he eventually let out slowly. “Do you think it is a good idea to keep the soldiers in the fortress, my liege?” He paused for a few seconds just to be sure that he had not offended Adrian with his question. “That fortress has been destroyed, and that makes it very difficult for the soldiers to find a place to lay their heads.”“Exactly…” Adrian nodded, holding onto his smile. “I do not plan to lose any other fortress, Commander. That is exactly why the soldiers should be gathered in the fortress that has already been destroyed…”“They are not coming there to sleep, but to be prepared for battle. I do not trust Marcus, the fact that we