FAZER LOGINCHAPTER SEVENTY-TWOThe room is dark.Not just dim, dark. The kind of darkness that feels intentional. Curated. Like whoever occupies this space prefers shadows to light.A single lamp sits on a mahogany desk. Its weak glow barely illuminates the figure seated behind it.Smoke curls through the air. Thick. Aromatic. Expensive.The man takes a long drag from what he's holding. Not a cigarette. Not something as pedestrian as that.A Cohiba Behike. Cuban. Rare. One of the most expensive cigars in the world.But even that's not quite right. Because wrapped around the premium tobacco leaf is something else. Something darker. More potent.Lotus Blue. A supernatural variant of cannabis that costs ten thousand dollars per gram. Grown in hidden greenhouses by vampire cultivators who've perfected the strain over centuries.It doesn't just get you high. It sharpens the mind. Heightens the senses. Makes everything clearer. More focused.Perfect for a man who needs to think. To plan. To strategize
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONEThe tension in the room is suffocating.Dante stands there, surrounded by his armed men. Red eyes blazing. Every muscle coiled and ready.Seraphina faces him, still holding my hand. Ice-blue eyes cold and calculating. Not backing down an inch."She's leaving with me," Seraphina says. Her voice is quiet. Deadly."No." Dante's response is simple. Final. "She's not.""You don't own her.""Neither do you.""Then let her choose." Seraphina's fingers tighten on mine. "Elena, tell him. Tell him you're coming with me."But before I can say anything, Dante laughs. It's a harsh, bitter sound."Choose? She doesn't get to choose. Not tonight. Not when my brother is in town looking to destroy everything I've built. Not when keeping her here is the only way to keep her safe.""Safe?" Seraphina's voice rises slightly. The first crack in her composure. "You think surrounding her with armed men and dead bodies is keeping her safe?""Safer than taking her to your penthouse where Aar
CHAPTER SEVENTYI look down at my phone again.Two missed calls. Both to Miguel.No response. No callback. No text saying he's busy or in class or anything.Just silence.He's probably busy. Has to be. Right?I haven't heard from him since Seraphina's men threw him out of Diamond Group.Since he was dragged through the lobby like a criminal while everyone watched.That was days ago now. And nothing. Complete radio silence.I want to see how he's doing. Want to make sure he's okay. Want to explain what's happening, or at least try to explain the parts I can without sounding completely insane.But he's not picking up.My thumb hovers over the call button again. Maybe third time's the charm. Maybe..."We are here, ma'am."The driver's voice pulls me from my thoughts.The car stops smoothly. We're in front of a building that looks nothing like a typical casino. No neon lights.No flashy signs. Just an unmarked door with two guards stationed outside.The driver exits and opens Seraphina's
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINEWe walk out of the auction house in silence.The murmurs and shouts from inside fade as we step into the late afternoon sun. Seraphina's heels click against the pavement with that same deliberate rhythm.The car is already waiting. Engine running. Driver standing by the open door.We slide into the back seat. The door closes. And we're moving before I've even settled in."Head to the casino," Seraphina says."Yes, ma'am."The driver increases speed immediately. Caracas blurs past the windows as we navigate through traffic.I sit there, slightly puzzled. Trying to piece together what just happened. What's happening now."Why are we heading to a casino?" I manage to ask.Seraphina looks up from her phone. Those ice-blue eyes fix on me with an intensity that makes me shrink back slightly."Because Dante sent his brother to a bid that I'm supposed to rule in." Her voice is cold. Clipped. "And I won't take that for granted."I was shocked.. wait what!!! Dante has a broth
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHTThe murmurs start immediately.Whispers rippling through the auction room like waves. Everyone trying to process what just happened.Ten million dollars. For a journal.But no one dares speak out loud. No one questions Seraphina's decision. No one challenges her.They just whisper among themselves. Stealing glances at us. At her.Wondering what kind of person spends that much money on a book.I'm still reeling. Still trying to understand what I just agreed to.Any time. Any where. Any day.The auctioneer clears his throat, drawing everyone's attention back to the podium."And now, ladies and gentlemen, we come to our final piece of the evening." His voice carries a different weight now. More gravitas. "The main event, if you will."He gestures to someone offstage. A large screen descends from the ceiling. A projector flickers to life.And suddenly we're looking at blueprints. Architectural renderings. Financial projections."The Coastal Development Project," the au
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVENMy uncle stares at Seraphina, shock and pain warring on his face."Who the hell are you?" he gasps out.He tries to free himself from her grip. Pulls back with all his strength. Twists his wrist. Tries to break her hold.But he can't.I watch in stunned silence as my uncle, a beta wolf, not as powerful as alphas but still strong enough to overpower most people, struggles uselessly against Seraphina's grip.He's a grown man. Has supernatural strength. Should be able to break free from a woman half his size.Yet Seraphina holds his wrist effortlessly. Like he's a child throwing a tantrum.Like his strength means absolutely nothing compared to hers.How is she doing that?She's a vampire. I know that. But I didn't realize, didn't understand, how much stronger that makes her.How completely outmatched my uncle is.Seraphina shoves him aside. He stumbles backward, nearly falling.Then her hand comes up and she slaps him.Hard.The sound echoes across the parking lot. Sh
CHAPTER ELEVEN Before I can process that, before I can respond, he bends and scoops me up into his arms.Bridal style. Like I weigh nothing.One arm under my knees, the other supporting my back. My head falls against his chest automatically.I can hear his heartbeat. Fast. Pounding with barely con
CHAPTER TENMy eyes flood with relief and anticipation I don't want to feel.He came. He actually came.Dante walks into the auction hall like he owns it. His hand is casually in his pocket, but there's nothing casual about the fury radiating off him in waves.Behind him, five men in identical blac
CHAPTER NINE A man in a pristine white suit steps onto the stage. The auctioneer. He has a microphone and a practiced smile that makes my skin crawl."Ladies and gentlemen," he says, his voice booming through speakers. "Welcome to this evening's exclusive auction. We have exceptional products for
CHAPTER EIGHTI step out of the bathroom on shaking legs, trying to pull myself together.My makeup is fixed. My dress is smoothed down. On the outside, I look presentable again.On the inside, I'm still trembling from what just happened. From his hands on my body. His words in my ear. The way he l







