Kael's POVThe room smelled like old paper and expensive whiskey. Neither belonged in a bunker buried beneath an abandoned church, yet here we were.The Council's emergency safehouse sat beneath Blackthorn City's oldest district, hidden behind three reinforced doors and enough armed guards to start a small war. Nobody trusted anyone anymore, not after Elena disappeared, not after the archive, and not after Alessandro's final message.I stood near a narrow window, watching rain slide down the glass. Three days. Three days since the council chamber exploded into chaos, Three days have passed since Elena Luca vanished, and nobody has found a single trace. Behind me, Marcus closed another folder and rubbed his eyes. "Nothing."His voice sounded rough. He hadn't slept much; neither had I.Across the room, Adrian sat with his feet on a table. His posture looked relaxed. The dark circles beneath his eyes told a different story. "You know what bothers me?" Adrian said. "Everything?" I asked.

Kael's POVNobody touched the laptop. For several seconds, we just stared at the glowing screen. Rain rattled against the windows. The old house groaned around us. And in the middle of that ruined bedroom sat a file someone had risked killing for.Marcus recovered first. "Disconnect it from the network."Adrian already had the laptop in his hands. "I know how computers work." "You once downloaded malware from a cooking website." "It was a recipe." "It was a virus."Adrian looked offended. The argument lasted three seconds, then everybody focused on the screen again because none of us cared about computers. We cared about Isabella.The woman who kept appearing at the center of every mystery. The woman Alessandro somehow trusted. The woman Elena seemed desperate to find.Raven checked the hallway one last time before closing the bedroom door. "We should move."Marcus shook his head. "If this file exists, it matters." "And if whoever left it comes back?" "Then we shoot them." Adrian nod

Kael's POVThe ceiling groaned above us, concrete cracked, and metal screamed. The entire archive was dying. "Move!" Marcus shouted. Nobody needed the reminder; we hit the exit door at full speed.Adrian slammed his shoulder into it. The steel barrier burst outward. Cold air rushed over us. For a second I nearly collapsed from relief. Then another explosion erupted behind us. The shockwave launched burning papers through the doorway. Thousands of secrets scattered into the night, The archive was gone. Years of records, Evidence, leverage, and history erased in minutes. Or at least that was the plan. I turned instinctively, just one glance, one more look.The flames had consumed most of the structure now. Orange light spilled through shattered windows. Smoke rolled into the sky, But my attention wasn't on the fire. It was on the figure.The man still stood inside, motionless, watching. Like the collapsing building didn't concern him, Like he belonged there. Then a section of the ceilin

Kael's POVThe first bullet shattered the stone pillar inches from my head. Dust exploded into my face.Raven grabbed the back of my jacket and yanked me lower just as another burst of gunfire ripped through the cathedral. Wood splintered, glass scattered. The ancient silence of the building vanished beneath chaos. "Move!" Raven shouted.Marcus was already firing from behind a row of pews. Two attackers dropped before reaching the center aisle. The others didn't hesitate. Whoever these people were, they weren't street soldiers. They moved in coordinated formations, covering angles. Advancing together, Professional, very professional.Adrian ducked behind a stone column and returned fire. "Tell me we're shooting the right people!" "No idea!" Marcus yelled back. "Helpful!"A grenade bounced across the floor. My stomach dropped. "Down!" The explosion rocked the cathedral. Heat slammed into my chest. Several pews shattered apart. Smoke filled the air. For a second all I could hear was rin

Kael's POVThe engine roared as Adrian forced the SUV through another flooded intersection. Nobody spoke, not because we had nothing to say. Because every answer seemed to create three new questions. I looked down at the leather journal resting on my lap. It looked ordinary: worn edges, a faded cover, and water stains from years ago. Nothing about it suggested men would kill to protect it or die trying to destroy it.Raven sat beside me, one hand pressed against the bandage around her shoulder. Fresh blood had seeped through the fabric again, but she ignored it."You should let Marcus look at that." "I'm fine." "You've said that three times." "And it became true the third time." I almost smiled. Almost.Marcus turned in the passenger seat. "We need to know what's inside before anyone else catches us." I ran my thumb across the cover. "There could be another trap." "There could," Marcus admitted. "But we're already inside it."That was hard to argue with. I opened the journal. The firs