"Did you see that?" Lana demanded, her perfectly manicured fingernails digging painfully into Cade’s forearm.They were standing safely inside the pedestrian turnstiles of The Pinnacle, watching the cherry-red sports car rocket up the winding mountain road. The vehicle hugged the sharp curves with flawless precision, its powerful engine roaring as it disappeared toward the highest, most exclusive ridge of the luxury complex.Lana’s jaw tightened so hard her teeth ground together. A bitter, ugly green envy burned a hole straight through her chest. She recognized the car immediately. Every socialite in the city knew about that specific vehicle. It was a custom, limited-edition European masterpiece. Only fifty of them existed in the entire world.Lana turned her head and glared at Cade, her toxic insecurity bubbling to the surface."Why exactly don't you have one of those?" Lana asked, her voice sharp and accusatory. "Your father is supposed to be one of the most powerful corporate giant

"Nobody calls me a liability," Chloe snapped, her voice echoing sharply against the high vaulted ceilings of the villa. She marched right up to Dane, jabbing her index finger aggressively toward his chest, though she was smart enough not to actually make physical contact. "Especially not some unvetted, glorified babysitter wearing a cheap tracksuit. I am a sworn officer of the law. I carry a loaded weapon. I have taken down cartels while you were probably bouncing drunks at a nightclub."Dane looked down at the furious police officer. His dark eyes remained completely blank, entirely unaffected by her loud, abrasive display of authority."Your badge does not make you bulletproof," Dane replied quietly. "It makes you overconfident. And overconfidence will get her killed."Chloe let out a sound of pure, unadulterated outrage. She whipped around, marching over to where Berry was standing near the floating staircase. Chloe grabbed Berry’s arm with a firm, stubborn grip."We are leaving,"

"Are you completely out of your mind?" Chloe demanded, her hands flying aggressively to her seatbelt buckle the very second the car stopped sliding. "It is a pile of rocks, Dane! It is a natural mudslide! Do not try to turn a random act of nature into one of your ridiculous conspiracy theories just so you can pretend to be a hero!"Dane kept his voice dangerously low, his dark eyes scanning the towering, dust-choked ridges above them. "I gave you a direct order. Keep your seatbelt fastened and stay inside the vehicle. This is an active kill zone.""You do not give me orders!" Chloe shouted, hitting the release button on her harness. The belt snapped back with a loud click. She glared at Dane through the rearview mirror, her face flushed with indignant, arrogant rage. "I am a police officer. I am going to step out of this vehicle, I am going to inspect the perimeter of the road blockage, and then I am going to call dispatch to clear this mess up. You can sit in the back seat and cower

Gravity meant absolutely nothing to Dane Mercer as he vaulted over the crumpled metal guardrail and launched himself into the dense, untamed forest.He did not scramble up the steep, jagged rocks like a desperate man. He moved with a terrifying, impossible fluidity, his expensive leather shoes finding microscopic footholds on the sheer vertical incline of the mountain face. He was a phantom scaling a fortress wall. To the ordinary eye, his speed would be entirely incomprehensible, blurring the lines of physical limitation. But Dane was not bound by the physical limitations that governed the rest of the world.While billionaires hoarded their wealth and politicians debated laws, they all remained completely ignorant of the true, hidden hierarchy of power that ruled the shadows of the earth. Ninety-nine point nine percent of humanity were entirely "Unawakened." They were ordinary civilians who relied on bullets, technology, and fragile physical strength to survive. They possessed absolu

Chloe refused to die cowering on her knees behind the wheel of a crashed luxury car.Her hands shook violently, her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird, and the icy grip of pure terror wrapped tightly around her throat, but she forced herself to stand up. She was a sworn officer of the law. She came from a proud, decorated military family. She had spent her entire life training to protect the innocent, and the most important person in her world was currently huddled on the asphalt right next to her.Chloe stepped away from the crumpled fender of the sports car, placing her body squarely between the advancing syndicate mercenaries and Berry.She drew her standard-issue police pistol from its holster. Her training kicked in, overriding the blinding panic. She squared her stance, locked her wrists, and aimed directly at the center mass of the closest mercenary."Drop your weapons!" Chloe screamed, her voice cracking but laced with a fierce, desperate defiance. "I am an of