The war ended after seventeen minutes.Kade stared down the countdown while it burned away on the holographic battlefield, more of the enemy pulled out of their hidings, but he simply smiled.“Phase Three has been locked.” An officer next to him announced. “The satellite alignment has been confirmed.”He did not look up. “Engage”A large light fell from the orbit into the ground creating an absolute chaos in the enemy’s northern command which vanished.Seventeen minutes, it was a decade of long war that had ended under his control.The people around him and the command center erupted in joy, hugging one another as the enemy fell.“The King has done it again!” “The entire command has surrendered they are urging for a cease fire.”“Everyone thinks it is the best battle that has ever bveen fought in modern history!”Kade rose from the screen, his tall frame making his presence intimidating in the eyes of the soldiers around him.At twenty six years old, he was already a legend. He shoul

Thorne Caspian smiled at the bodies on the floor like he had walked into a gallery, not a massacre.Kade stayed next to Aunt Mira and watched him walk around like he owned the place. Maybe he did own everything in this city, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was finding Lyric before it was too late."So you're the famous King of the North." Caspian stopped moving and looked at him with eyes that gleamed with cruel amusement. "I heard you won an entire war with one strategy. Heard armies gave up just because they knew your name." He circled closer, his expensive shoes clicking against the blood-stained floor. "Tell me, does it feel different killing people who can't fight back? Or is that not your style?""Where is my sister?" Kade's voice was flat and emotionless.Caspian pulled out a cigarette and lit it before speaking, taking his time as if he had all night. "You don't get to ask questions here. This is my city. My family runs everything. The police work for us. The j

They called her a product, but Lyric knew she was bait.The room where they kept them was underground with no windows. It smelled like bleach trying to cover something worse. Twelve other girls were there with her. None of them would look at her. Looking meant acknowledging what was about to happen.A woman in a gray suit came in every few hours to check on them and make sure they stayed presentable. The first time Lyric tried to speak, the woman slapped her hard enough that her ear rang for twenty minutes."Don't talk." The woman walked around Lyric in a slow circle. "Don't cry. Don't resist. Buyers want perfect merchandise. If you're damaged, your price drops. If your price drops, we have to get creative about making up the difference."Lyric didn't ask what creative meant. She already knew from the way the other girls flinched when the woman said it.They gave them white dresses that were too thin and too short. Lyric put hers on because refusing would make things worse. She had le

Celessa Thorne didn't hunt like a predator. She collected like a god.Kade's phone rang at three in the morning. He answered without checking the caller ID. Only a handful of people had this number, and all of them knew better than to call unless it was important."Hello, Kade." The voice was smooth and cold, like expensive whiskey poured over ice. "Or should I call you Marcus Chen? That was the name you used at the auction, wasn't it?"He sat up in bed and went completely still. "Who is this?""You don't recognize my voice?" She laughed, and the sound made his skin crawl. "I suppose it has been a long time. Ten years since you ran away. Ten years since I had to explain to your father why his son abandoned him after everything we did for your family."Celessa."How did you get this number?" Kade kept his voice calm even though his heart was pounding."I own half the telecommunications companies in this region and have friends in the other half. Getting a phone number is child's play."

Kade kissed Silisa knowing exactly who her mother was, hating himself for needing her.Two weeks had passed since their first meeting at the Harbor Club. He spent every day verifying her information and testing her loyalty. So far, everything she gave him was accurate.The server location was real. Security schedules were updated weekly. Financial records showed decades of money laundering, human trafficking, and corruption so deep it made his stomach turn.Through it all, Silisa kept showing up with more information, more access, and more reasons for him to trust her.They met in different locations every time—coffee shops, parks, and hotel lobbies. Always public spaces, always crowded, always somewhere Celessa's people couldn't listen in without being obvious.Tonight they were in a restaurant on the waterfront. Silisa sat across from him wearing a black dress that probably cost more than most people's cars. Kade tried not to notice how beautiful she was."You're distracted." She to