FAZER LOGINDarius’s POV I turned toward Xavier when I heard him calling Angela’s name. At first, I thought she’d simply moved somewhere else in the room, but the look on his face told me something was wrong. “Why are you yelling for Angela? I thought you knew where she was.” I have to admit, there was fear in my voice. “I did. She was right over there.” Xavier pointed toward the windows. “Didn’t you just let her go over there to talk to some of the guests?” I asked in confusion. “Yes, Darius. I looked away for one second, and when I looked back, she was gone. I’ve already looked around. I can’t see her anywhere.” I looked toward the windows myself. There were still people standing around talking, but Angela wasn’t among them. “How the hell can she just disappear? This entire room is locked down. Nobody is supposed to be getting in or out.” “That’s what I’d like to know,” Xavier snapped. Silas turned toward us. “What’s going on?” “Angela’s missing,” I told him. “What do you mean she’s
Xavier’s POV The explosion sent a wave of panic through the room. I immediately reached for Angela, pulling her against my side and tucking her beneath my arm. Darius moved in beside her, while Silas stepped around her other side, effectively surrounding her. “What the hell are you three doing?” Angela snapped, pushing at our arms. “I can protect myself! You don’t have to stand in front of me. I’m grown, and I can handle this.” None of us moved. We stayed exactly where we were. “Angela, just stay here,” I told her, keeping my attention on the room. “I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, Xavier.” She rolled her eyes as she gave me a death glare. “I know you are.” I sighed. “Then stop treating me like I’m going to break!” Darius gave her a quick look. “Nobody said you were going to break. Just let us handle this for a minute.” She opened her mouth to argue, but I was already turning toward Nolan, who had been moving through the crowd with several of our warriors. “Nola
Vladimir’s POV I slipped back out of sight, making sure I was well away from the palace before allowing myself to relax. I had purposely made sure Silas saw me. I wanted him to know I was a threat, that I was close enough to reach him whenever I wanted. Dorian, on the other hand, was a much harder man to scare. He had spent years looking over his shoulder, waiting for me to make another attempt on his life. But Silas was different. I could still picture the look on his face when our eyes met. His eyes had widened, and for a brief moment, he looked as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Little did he know that I had planned for him to see me all along. I used my speed to reach the tree line, where a group of my men were already waiting. They stepped aside as I approached, and one of them immediately turned toward me. “So, what now, boss? Are we going ahead with the plan?” I gave him a look that should have been enough to answer his question. Did he honestly think I hadn
Xavier’s POV Angela's warning hadn't left my mind all morning. I kept going over what she'd told us, especially the part about the explosives already being in place and someone waiting for a signal. I wasn't about to take a chance with that many people gathered in one place. I'd pulled Nolan aside as soon as Angela told us what she'd heard. Darius and Dorian were brought into the conversation, and we agreed that the first thing we needed to do was increase security without making a big deal out of it. The last thing we wanted was to have hundreds of guests panicking before Silas even got his crown. Dorian had also arranged for a bomb squad to come in and check several areas around the palace. They'd gone through the locations we could identify as possible targets, but so far, they hadn't found anything. That didn't make me feel any better. We didn't know exactly where to look, how many devices there might be, or whether we'd even checked the right places. All we had was Angela's
Angela’s POV I was warm, comfortable, and in absolutely no hurry to move. My cheek was resting against Xavier's chest, one of my arms draped across him while his hand rested against my back. Silas was behind me, his arm wrapped around my waist, and Darius had somehow managed to make himself comfortable across my legs, holding me close even in his sleep. I smiled to myself. I wasn't sure how any of us had managed to get into this position, but I wasn't about to complain. My thoughts drifted back to the night before. We'd all been exhausted after the long day, and by the time we'd finally made it upstairs, none of us had been interested in doing anything except spending some time together. But somehow, the night had turned into something much more meaningful. Each of them had taken their time with me. They'd been gentle, attentive, and made sure I knew just how much they loved me. There hadn't been any competition between them, no trying to outdo one another or prove who meant more
Darius’s POV By midafternoon, I was beginning to understand why nobody had warned us about hosting a gathering of this size. Taking a crown was one thing. Getting everyone from four supernatural kingdoms into the same palace without somebody complaining about something was apparently an entirely different challenge. I stood near the entrance to the main hall, watching another line of black SUVs pull through the gates. Security checked each vehicle before allowing it onto the grounds, while members of the palace staff waited near the entrance to direct the arriving guests. Every time I thought we had a handle on things, another group showed up, and somebody came looking for answers. “Alpha Marcus and his party have arrived,” one of the guards informed me. “Which territory?” I hated that I couldn’t think of what pack he was from. “Nightshade, my king.” I nodded my head and watched several men step out of the vehicles. The Alpha was a broad-shouldered man with graying hair, accomp







