2025-11-30 13:13:16
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Chapter 39
Seraphina stepped forward with that controlled calm she always wore like a second skin. Up close the smile didn’t reach her eyes — it was polite, precise, businesslike.“I appreciate the invitation, Mr. Lucien,” she said, voice cool as glass. “But tonight I’ll be having a meal alone — with Darren and his spouse. Perhaps next time I can dine with the Delacroix family.”The words landed like a measured cut. Lucien’s hand tightened on his cane until the knuckles whitened. For a man used to setting the room’s temperature with a look, this was a temperature drop he hadn’t expected. I watched him shrink a fraction, the practiced façade falter. Humiliation is a subtle thing; it rearranges a man’s shoulders. Lucien’s shifted and, for a heartbeat, he looked almost small.Maya didn’t hesitate. She crossed the floor without a word and sank to her knees beside Darren, helping him as if she could lift the weight from his limbs. Darren’s breath was shallow, each inhale a small victory. The hush in
Chapter 38
Seraphina glides into the room like she owns every inch of air she takes. The door closes behind her with a soft click, but the sound of it seems to snap the whole place into focus. For a second the room feels smaller — the light harsher, the smell of blood and sweat more honest — because she’s there and she doesn’t waste a breath.Her eyes sweep the room the way a surgeon’s hand finds a wound. They land on Darren first. He’s slumped, bound, shirt ruined and dark with blood. The bruise swelling over his eye looks like someone stamped a fist into him. Seraphina’s mouth tightens; the line of her brow is the only thing she allows herself to show. Then her gaze slides to me and, just for a breath, there’s something like calculation and something like pity mixed in that look.I shift my shoulders almost imperceptibly — the tiniest shake of my head. Don’t mention the contract, I say to her without words. She catches it. She knows what that could do to Darren if Lucien twists it into leverag
Chapter 37
Just as I shifted my weight, ready to force my way through, a sharp, commanding voice echoed from inside.“Let him in.”The guards froze. Their eyes flicked to each other, uncertainty written in their stiff posture. Then, with reluctant movements, they stepped aside.I didn’t hesitate. I shoved past them, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest.The moment I stepped inside, the stench hit me—thick and metallic. Blood. Sweat. Something rotten clung to the walls and seeped into my lungs, making my stomach churn. The room was bare except for a single overhead light, its bulb flickering, casting restless shadows that danced along the cracked concrete walls.And then I saw him.Darren.My brother sat tied to a chair in the center of the room like some broken offering. His wrists were bound tightly behind his back, the ropes biting into his skin until they bled. His shirt hung in tatters, darkened by blood that clung in uneven patches. Bruises swelled across his face, purple and black
Chapter 36
Mia looked so frustrated as she pushed her hands free from my grip. Her movements were sharp and restless, like she was trying to shake off everything she was feeling at once. Her face was flushed, her brows drawn together, and there was a fire in her eyes that I’d seen only a few times before."Did you get this from the girl you visited?!" she yelled, her voice cracking with a mix of anger and hurt.I sighed, dragging a hand down my face before pinching the bridge of my nose. The dull throb at the back of my skull pulsed in time with my heartbeat. "Mia, it's just a cut. I'll be fine," I said to her, trying to keep my voice even.But she didn’t agree.She scoffed loudly, spinning on her heel so quickly her hair whipped behind her. She stormed back into her apartment without another word. For a second, I thought she was done throwing a tantrum, and I turned back to my door, ready to disappear into my own space.But before I could even touch the knob, she returned.And this time, she ca
Chapter 35
They all reeled back like a struck animal pack — shocked, unsteady, stripped of swagger. Their knives hung useless in hands that suddenly trembled.I took one slow step forward, letting the silence stretch until it felt like the whole room was holding its breath with me.“Who’s next?” I asked.Their eyes slid away. Not one of them met mine.“Cowards,” I said, because naming what they were made it real.Then I turned my back on them and walked straight to Evelyn. She was folded against the wheel, limp and small as if bruises had compressed the life out of her, but when she saw me she blinked hard and something like awe — relief — went through her gaze.I bent down and started working at the ropes. My fingers moved on muscle memory: find the knot, pinch the loop, push the end free. The strands were rough and tight; they’d cut shallow furrows into her wrists. Her skin was warm under my palms, trembling.Just as the last knot slipped and her feet found the concrete, Marcus barked, “Kael,
Chapter 34
Delacroix’s reach ran deeper than anyone liked to admit. If Lucien moved to settle a score, it wouldn’t be me who felt the first strike — it would be Darren. My chest tightened at the thought.Then my phone buzzed in my pocket.Ring. Ring. Ring.Evenlyn’s name lit the screen — Eagle’s sister. I thumbed it open before my brain had finished sorting the danger wordless in my gut.“Yeah?” I said.“Kael… please… save me…” Her voice was a thin rope, frayed and shaking.I tightened my fingers around the phone. “Where are you? What happened?”A man cut in, smooth and cold as ice. “Kael George, I warned you this isn’t over.”The voice was one I knew — and hated. It didn’t have to shout to carry menace.“If you want to save the girl,” he said, “come to—” He barked an address, clipped and final.I didn’t wait for more. I shoved the phone back into my pocket and stood so fast my chair screeched.“Kael?” Mia’s voice followed me, small with worry. I didn’t answer. There was no time. Eagle was burie
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