This was a matter of destroying them.I turned to the people standing before me—my people. Each of them had put everything on the line to stand with me and fight a fight that was no longer mine. And yet I could see it in their faces. The gravity of what we were about to do. The reality of it sinking in.Bastian blew out a breath and rubbed a hand over his face. “So you mean to tell me. Our objective is to infiltrate one of the most secure vaults ever built, steal their secrets, and then... what? Pray they don’t just kill us right away?”Jameson smiled, raising his arms behind his head. “I mean, that’s probably about right.”Soraya shot him a glare. “That’s not a plan. That’s suicide.”Maxwell moved next to me, his golden eyes fixed on the flames. “The Council’s greatest weapon isn’t their army. It’s the illusion of control. People don’t rebel against them, because they think it can’t be done. They think the Council is omnipotent, above all.”I nodded, my throat tight. “But if we can p
The torches flickered against the towering stone walls of my father’s estate, casting long, shifting shadows across the ground. The place looked the same as when I left—cold, imposing, untouched by time. But I wasn’t the same.I didn’t belong here anymore.Maxwell rode beside me in silence, his presence grounding me as we approached the front gates. Two guards stiffened at the sight of us, their hands twitching toward their weapons. But when their gazes landed on me, something in their postures shifted.Recognition. Uncertainty. Fear.One of them cleared his throat. “Miss Weber.”I reined in my horse, leveling him with a steady gaze. “Open the gates.”The other guard hesitated. “Your father—”“Will want to see me.”There was no room for argument in my voice.They exchanged a look before one of them finally turned and signaled the sentries above. The great iron gates creaked open, revealing the long stone pathway that led to the grand estate at the heart of the compound.Maxwell leaned
The world around me blurred. The room, the firelight dancing in the stone walls, the heavy weight of my father’s words like a stifling fog spreading over me — none of it felt real anymore.She’s not your mother anymore.They broke her.They made her a weapon.I heard the words, but couldn’t process them. I didn’t want to.She was alive. I had seen her. I had touched her. Her voice had broken when she said my name, and her body had quaked when I held her. That wasn’t a mindless puppet’s response. That was real. That was her.And yet…My father had never been a liar, A survivor, a man who always kept an eye on the bigger picture, but not a liar.So , which truth was I meant to believe?“No, you’re wrong,” I whispered, my throat raw.My father didn’t react. He just stood there, shoulders squared, expression grim, as if he’d been waiting for me to say that.“Lena — ” Maxwell began, and I shook my head.“No.” I looked at my father, my hands balling into fists. “You don’t know her the way I
Outside, the wind was howling, rattling the wooden beams of the old safehouse, but inside it was suffocatingly quiet. We were supposed to have a plan — or at least the beginnings of one — but the weight of it lay heavy in my chest.”My mother, an enforcer. My mother, shattered and stitched back together into something else. That thought turned my stomach.I gazed around the faces around me—my father, Maxwell, Lilith, Jameson, and Bastian. Each came with a different flavor of wariness. Maxwell’s was the split and the gentle, the one that came accompanied by worry. Lilith was harsh, full of skepticism. Jameson was calculating, always on the lookout for the next move. Bastian just looked tired.And my father…He looked like a man who’d already mourned my mother once and was getting ready to do it all over again.I wouldn’t let that happen.I stood my ground and cleared my throat. “We move at dawn.”Lilith raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? That’s the grand plan?”I exhaled through my nose. “
It was a quiet night, but inside me, a storm was raging. Sleep would not come, and with it, I was alone with my thoughts and the horror of what was to come. It was a momentary resort to my senses in the dimly lit study, a candle flickered on the desk, casting long shadows around the wide room.The house was silent. Everyone had either gone to bed or was pretending to be. I knew better. Maxwell was probably pacing in his room, his annoyance barely held in check. My father was awake, too, though he’d never say so. He never slept when things were in flux, and nothing was in greater flux right now than what tomorrow might hold.A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I looked back, expecting to see Maxwell or my father; it was my mother. Her gaze was sharp but unreadable, and she entered without asking.“You need to be resting,” she replied.“So should you.”She closed the door behind her with a sigh. “I know what you’re thinking.“Do you?”She didn’t reply right away. Instead, she c
I raked a hand through my hair, attempting to corral my thoughts onto some sort of a line. “Then we need a plan.”Maxwell grinned, but there was nothing funny about it. “Good. Because I already have one.”I crossed my arms, eyes narrowing at Maxwell. “Of course you do. Let’s hear it.”Maxwell let out a breath and looked at my mother, then closer. His voice fell to a near whisper, as if the walls had ears. “The Council expects you to obey their laws, to deliver her back into their watchful gaze. That’s where they have all the power. “We don’t allow them that opportunity.”I frowned. “And how do we avoid that exactly?”“We do it on our terms.”I gave a small laugh, without humor. “You make it seem so easy.”“It is.” Maxwell leaned closer, his eyes keen. “They want control of this, Lena. That’s their leverage. So we take it from them.”My mother’s expression was inscrutable, and her silence held as she processed what Maxwell had said. Then, finally, she spoke. “What you’re suggesting is
The night air was thick with tension as I stepped into the courtyard. Maxwell stood waiting, his expression set in grim determination. Behind him, a handful of trusted allies—faces I had fought beside, bled with—stood in the shadows, waiting for my word.I exhaled slowly, steadying myself. “Tell me everything.”Maxwell nodded. “We’re going to the vault beneath the Blackwood estate. That’s where they kept her body, sealed away so no one could reach her. The Council thinks they’re the only ones who know how to break the enchantments surrounding it, but they’re wrong.”I narrowed my eyes. “How?”Maxwell smirked, but there was no humor in it. “Because I stole the key.”I blinked. “You what?”He pulled a small, ancient-looking talisman from his coat pocket. The sigils carved into it pulsed faintly, reacting to the magic in the air.“Wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “But let’s just say the Council isn’t as careful as they think they are.”I ran a hand through my hair. “You’re insane.”“Probably.”
“You know she has to die, David.” Sophie’s voice rang out over the clamorous charity gala as her champagne glass glinted in the light. “The Council will not wait very long.”"Not here." David's jaw clenched as he glanced around the room, an expensive suit not enough to disguise the tension in his shoulders. “We do have half the city’s elite watching us.”I froze behind the marble column, my heart throbbing in my ribs. They hadn’t seen me yet — my own husband and his supposed best friend, discussing my murder over champagne. The anniversary gift nestled in my clutch weighed a ton.“She’s getting suspicious,” Sophie said, turning her red lips into a smile as she waved to a passing senator. “Yesterday she asked about where her family’s foundation’s missing money went.”“Because you got careless about the transfers.” David’s tone stayed polite, but I could hear the peril. “Two hundred million doesn’t just vanish without questions.My hands shook when I took out my phone, opening the banki
The night air was thick with tension as I stepped into the courtyard. Maxwell stood waiting, his expression set in grim determination. Behind him, a handful of trusted allies—faces I had fought beside, bled with—stood in the shadows, waiting for my word.I exhaled slowly, steadying myself. “Tell me everything.”Maxwell nodded. “We’re going to the vault beneath the Blackwood estate. That’s where they kept her body, sealed away so no one could reach her. The Council thinks they’re the only ones who know how to break the enchantments surrounding it, but they’re wrong.”I narrowed my eyes. “How?”Maxwell smirked, but there was no humor in it. “Because I stole the key.”I blinked. “You what?”He pulled a small, ancient-looking talisman from his coat pocket. The sigils carved into it pulsed faintly, reacting to the magic in the air.“Wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “But let’s just say the Council isn’t as careful as they think they are.”I ran a hand through my hair. “You’re insane.”“Probably.”
I raked a hand through my hair, attempting to corral my thoughts onto some sort of a line. “Then we need a plan.”Maxwell grinned, but there was nothing funny about it. “Good. Because I already have one.”I crossed my arms, eyes narrowing at Maxwell. “Of course you do. Let’s hear it.”Maxwell let out a breath and looked at my mother, then closer. His voice fell to a near whisper, as if the walls had ears. “The Council expects you to obey their laws, to deliver her back into their watchful gaze. That’s where they have all the power. “We don’t allow them that opportunity.”I frowned. “And how do we avoid that exactly?”“We do it on our terms.”I gave a small laugh, without humor. “You make it seem so easy.”“It is.” Maxwell leaned closer, his eyes keen. “They want control of this, Lena. That’s their leverage. So we take it from them.”My mother’s expression was inscrutable, and her silence held as she processed what Maxwell had said. Then, finally, she spoke. “What you’re suggesting is
It was a quiet night, but inside me, a storm was raging. Sleep would not come, and with it, I was alone with my thoughts and the horror of what was to come. It was a momentary resort to my senses in the dimly lit study, a candle flickered on the desk, casting long shadows around the wide room.The house was silent. Everyone had either gone to bed or was pretending to be. I knew better. Maxwell was probably pacing in his room, his annoyance barely held in check. My father was awake, too, though he’d never say so. He never slept when things were in flux, and nothing was in greater flux right now than what tomorrow might hold.A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I looked back, expecting to see Maxwell or my father; it was my mother. Her gaze was sharp but unreadable, and she entered without asking.“You need to be resting,” she replied.“So should you.”She closed the door behind her with a sigh. “I know what you’re thinking.“Do you?”She didn’t reply right away. Instead, she c
Outside, the wind was howling, rattling the wooden beams of the old safehouse, but inside it was suffocatingly quiet. We were supposed to have a plan — or at least the beginnings of one — but the weight of it lay heavy in my chest.”My mother, an enforcer. My mother, shattered and stitched back together into something else. That thought turned my stomach.I gazed around the faces around me—my father, Maxwell, Lilith, Jameson, and Bastian. Each came with a different flavor of wariness. Maxwell’s was the split and the gentle, the one that came accompanied by worry. Lilith was harsh, full of skepticism. Jameson was calculating, always on the lookout for the next move. Bastian just looked tired.And my father…He looked like a man who’d already mourned my mother once and was getting ready to do it all over again.I wouldn’t let that happen.I stood my ground and cleared my throat. “We move at dawn.”Lilith raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? That’s the grand plan?”I exhaled through my nose. “
The world around me blurred. The room, the firelight dancing in the stone walls, the heavy weight of my father’s words like a stifling fog spreading over me — none of it felt real anymore.She’s not your mother anymore.They broke her.They made her a weapon.I heard the words, but couldn’t process them. I didn’t want to.She was alive. I had seen her. I had touched her. Her voice had broken when she said my name, and her body had quaked when I held her. That wasn’t a mindless puppet’s response. That was real. That was her.And yet…My father had never been a liar, A survivor, a man who always kept an eye on the bigger picture, but not a liar.So , which truth was I meant to believe?“No, you’re wrong,” I whispered, my throat raw.My father didn’t react. He just stood there, shoulders squared, expression grim, as if he’d been waiting for me to say that.“Lena — ” Maxwell began, and I shook my head.“No.” I looked at my father, my hands balling into fists. “You don’t know her the way I
The torches flickered against the towering stone walls of my father’s estate, casting long, shifting shadows across the ground. The place looked the same as when I left—cold, imposing, untouched by time. But I wasn’t the same.I didn’t belong here anymore.Maxwell rode beside me in silence, his presence grounding me as we approached the front gates. Two guards stiffened at the sight of us, their hands twitching toward their weapons. But when their gazes landed on me, something in their postures shifted.Recognition. Uncertainty. Fear.One of them cleared his throat. “Miss Weber.”I reined in my horse, leveling him with a steady gaze. “Open the gates.”The other guard hesitated. “Your father—”“Will want to see me.”There was no room for argument in my voice.They exchanged a look before one of them finally turned and signaled the sentries above. The great iron gates creaked open, revealing the long stone pathway that led to the grand estate at the heart of the compound.Maxwell leaned
This was a matter of destroying them.I turned to the people standing before me—my people. Each of them had put everything on the line to stand with me and fight a fight that was no longer mine. And yet I could see it in their faces. The gravity of what we were about to do. The reality of it sinking in.Bastian blew out a breath and rubbed a hand over his face. “So you mean to tell me. Our objective is to infiltrate one of the most secure vaults ever built, steal their secrets, and then... what? Pray they don’t just kill us right away?”Jameson smiled, raising his arms behind his head. “I mean, that’s probably about right.”Soraya shot him a glare. “That’s not a plan. That’s suicide.”Maxwell moved next to me, his golden eyes fixed on the flames. “The Council’s greatest weapon isn’t their army. It’s the illusion of control. People don’t rebel against them, because they think it can’t be done. They think the Council is omnipotent, above all.”I nodded, my throat tight. “But if we can p
The atmosphere in the ruins was dense, cloaked in thoughts unsaid, expressions unread, and an unbreakable tension. We had decided, we had jumped, but the weight of it was sinking in like a rock pulling us under water.We weren’t simply in it for our lives anymore.We were declaring war.And war meant losses.Maxwell leaned against the broken window, arms crossed, gazing out at the dark horizon. His golden eyes had gone distant, his jaw set. He wasn’t speaking, but I could sense his thoughts. The way I could feel my heartbeat hammering on the other side of my ribs.I took a breath. “We need to start planning.”No one moved at first.Then Jameson scoffed. “You don’t waste time, huh?”I met his gaze. “We’re moving fast and not wasting time.”Lilith grinned and flicked a knife between her fingers as she reclined against the wall. “She’s right. The Council is regrouping already. We can’t just wait around and hope they’ll waver.”For the last few minutes, Bastian had been silent, and now he
The evening continued, weighed down by smoke and fatigue. None of us talked as we trudged more profoundly into the woods, deep breaths audible in the stillness. The fight was over, but the heaviness, the weight of it clung to me like a hand on my ribs, a fist.We had gotten away, but not because we were stronger. Not because we had won.We were free because he set us free.That idea was seared into my brain, repeating over and over again, only to contort into something that made me nauseous.Maxwell walked next to me, trudging slower than normal, his hand shoved against his injured side. He winced every couple of steps, but he would pretend he was fine when I looked.“Stop glaring,” he muttered.“I’m not glaring.”He huffed a laugh. “You have that look. The one in which you’re blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault.”I was blaming myself. How could I not?I had led them into this. I had thought we were ready. That we could fight. That we had a chance.Instead, I had only b