Lia’s POVMy eyes fluttered open with a sharp breath, my chest rising and falling as though I’d just been saved from drowning. For a second, everything around me was blurry—the pale light pouring through the curtains, and the tall walls of the room.Then it hit me—This was….Kade’s penthouse.My heart pounded violently as I sat up, confusion and relief tearing through me all at once. The last thing I remembered was being held captive at Dante’s house.Noah’s hand was wrapping a handkerchief forcefully around my face. The wicked smell of chloroform before my body went limp.How the hell did I get here?I gripped the sheets tightly with trembling hands. Different unanswered questions are running through my mind. The sound of the door creaking open drifted me off my thoughts.Kade.He stood at the doorway. Relief flooded through me so much that tears rushed to my eyes before I could stop them. My legs moved before I could think and I found myself stumbling across the room and into his ch
Kade’s POVThe city lights blurred past me in flashes, but all I saw was rage. The image of Lia tied to that chair, Noah’s gun pressed to her head. Selene’s fucking laughter burned its memory into my skull.Every bone in me vibrated with the need to kill. Rip that bitch apart limb by limb. Gut Noah and hang him with his own balls. I regretted sparing that bastard’s life every second, I should have put a bullet in him the moment he stole from me.“Two minutes,” I murmured under my breath, “Two more minutes, Selene. I’ll carve every second into your skin.”The address she sent me led to an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city. Tall windows and metal doors sagging off their hinges. It reeked of decay. Surely the perfect place for Selene to play her stupid games.I kicked the door open without hesitation. The sound thundered through the entire building. My gun was already raised, getting ready for any unexpected attacks.And then—She stood there in the middle of the room as if sh
Kade’s POV“Don’t fucking lie to me, Mark,” my voice dropped low and dangerous. “Tell me the truth, or I will peel your skin off piece by piece.”Mark was on his knees. Blood dripped from his mouth, one eye shut while the other was wild with fear. My fist cracked across his jaw with a more brutal force this time. It sent his head snapping back like a rag doll.“Tell me where Selene is,” I growled. Grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head up so he’d look at me. The sound of his whimper made my blood boil even hotter.I had trusted this damn fool. He’d eaten at my table, one of my most trusted men. And all this time…that fucking bitch Selene had him on a leash. The betrayal clawed at me like fire under my skin.I slammed his head back against the wall, pressing a knife to his throat. His heart was racing so fast I could feel it in the knife itself. “She mentioned your name herself,” my voice turned cold.“I gave you time to confess these few days. But you chose to stay quiet. N
Lia’s POV“Go on. Shoot her.” Dante hissed, pacing behind Noah like a devil in silk. His smirk grew wider now, “Show me how much you really hate her. Show me she means nothing.”Noah’s fingers curled around the gun, his eyes didn’t meet mine at first. They stayed glued to the floor, like he was a little boy again too afraid to look me in the eyes.Selene’s cruel laughter cut through the tension, she leaned against the wall, her lips curling with venom. “Do it, Noah. She’s done nothing to save you since the day you got involved with Kade. You’ll thank me when it’s over.”Noah’s arm was still shaking as he raised the gun, pointing it directly at my chest. Was this really how I was about to die? Being killed by my own brother.But it wasn’t the fear of dying that terrified me. It was the sight of my own brother aiming the gun at me. “Please ... this isn’t you Noah,” I said.“Shut the fuck up!” He ordered, the sound thundering across the room. Dante stepped closer, his head landing heavy
Lia’s POVNoah stood at the doorway like a ghost, nothing empty about the look in his eyes. They were sharp and cold. Maybe this was just a trick that Dante or Selene is playing on me.They had forced him to stand there like a puppet. But his silence….told me otherwise. I had known Noah all my life to see when he was forced into something against his will. He had chosen this.“Say something, Lia. Cat cut your tongue?” Selene’s cruel words cut through the air, poisonous and mocking. “And now even your brother is siding with us…..”“……Do you feel how worthless you really are? Kade won’t protect you this time. Not even your blood will bother to try.”Her words sliced deeper than Dante’s hand across my face.“Noah…” The name tore out of my lips, not out of fear. But disbelief so sharp that it hurt. “Tell me this isn’t real. I know you’re being forced…”He didn’t flinch or try to act as my words touched him. If anything, he stepped closer, as if my breaking apart gave him pleasure. The wa
Lia’s POVPain was the first thing I felt the moment I woke up. A searing ache that ran through every one of my limbs, skill pounding as if someone had split it into two with an axe.Where the hell am 1?The bitter taste of blood on my lips made me wince in pain. My lips were swollen, and when I forced my eyes open, everything suddenly started making sense.I remembered surrendering to Dante as a distraction for Kade and Damon to escape, before he knocked me unconscious. I tried to push myself up, but my hands are shaking.This room didn’t feel like a prison cell, but it was a prison all the same. Luxury dripped from every corner—black polished marble floors with chandeliers that shone cold and cruel.No windows, only heavy steel doors that were heavily guarded by men in black. Their guns shining under the bright light, aimed at nothing but everyone at once.Then I heard it.It was no doubt the sound of Dante’s voice. “Awake at last, ehhh?” He hissed, strolling into the room like he o