LOGINChapter 185I spun around in a single, desperate motion, my boots skidding on the damp concrete as I threw my entire body over Viktor’s chained, broken frame. I shielded him like he was the most precious thing on earth because right now, the monster’s dying breaths were the only map to my children."Nikolai, get out of the way," I snarled, my hand flying back to the grip of my gun. "He knows where they are. He knows they’re alive!"Nikolai’s rifle didn't even twitch. "Make me.""He played us!" I screamed, the raw, unadulterated shock from the morgue fracturing my voice into something feral. "The bodies in the vault, they’re wax, Nikolai! Silicone and weighted resin! Our blood isn't dead. Your niece and nephew are out there!""I know what’s in the vault, sister," Nikolai said, his voice entirely devoid of warmth, a mechanical wall of absolute ice. "And I know exactly whose orders I’m following. You step away from the Russian, or I’ll put a bullet through his skull right now and seal t
Chapter 184The tension in the basement was a physical weight, thick and suffocating under the sparse, bleeding red lights. My gun hand was still raised, the iron sights blurring slightly as a drop of sweat stung my eye. I took a slow step backward toward the heavy metal door that led out of the interrogation block, my mind entirely fixated on the sub-level vault. I needed answers. I needed them now."Evelyn, don't do this," Nikolai warned, his tactical rifle still tracking my chest, though his voice lacked its usual mechanical detachment. "You're walking into a trap he has as a last resort. Lower the weapon.""Out of my way, Nikolai," I spat, my voice raw. "I'm going to the vault. If Jasper won't look me in the eye and tell me what was in those shrouds, I'll find out myself."Nikolai didn't budge. He stepped into my path, his massive frame blocking the exit, his jaw set in a rigid, unyielding line. "I can't let you do that. You're losing your mind over the desperate ramblings of a dy
Chapter 183The door to Jasper’s private study glided shut, sealing out the rhythmic, distant thudding of the backup generators. The room was bathed in the same oppressive, blood-red emergency glow as the nursery, casting long, predatory shadows across the heavy mahogany desk and the leather-bound chairs.I didn't turn around immediately. I stood just inside the threshold, my fingers curled around the grip of the sidearm still tucked into my waistband, my pulse thumping a frantic rhythm against my ribs. The scent of copper, ozone, and Viktor’s cheap cologne seemed to have clung to my skin, a suffocating reminder of the monster currently chained in our basement."You're remarkably quiet for a woman who just dismantled an empire before breakfast," Jasper murmured, his voice cutting through the silence like a velvet blade.I heard the distinct sound of fabric shifting as he shed his tailored suit jacket, tossing it carelessly over the back of a velvet armchair. He unbuttoned the top thr
Chapter 182The smoke inside the compound did not drift; it crawled. It swallowed the blood-red emergency lighting, turning the grand corridors into a choked, subterranean labyrinth. Gunfire erupted from the eastern wing, a frantic, deafening rhythm of tactical rifles and the heavier, slower thuds of Volkov’s incoming vanguard."Move! Now!" Nikolai shoved Evelyn toward the secondary threshold, his weapon raised, his eyes scanning the swirling haze.Jasper followed without a single tremor in his stride, his hand resting casually on the lapel of his tailored suit as if he were walking into a boardroom rather than a slaughterhouse. "The central nursery, Evelyn. Just like we rehearsed. Do not look back.""I'm not looking back," Evelyn said, her voice sounding low and raspy through the smoke. She gripped her sidearm, her knuckles white, her boots clicking sharply against the marble before the sound was swallowed by another massive explosion from the lower courtyard."They breached the el
Chapter 181"The ping has been transmitted," the lead technician announced, his fingers flying across his console. "The digital breadcrumbs are live on the Volkov secure server. Sir, the trap is officially active."Jasper didn't move. He merely stared at the main tracking terminal, his profile carved from stone. "Excellent. Now, we wait."I looked down at the floor, my chest tight. "Thirty minutes, Jasper. It’s been thirty minutes of absolute, suffocating silence. Why isn't he moving?""A beast does not sprint blindly into a cave, Aurora," Jasper murmured, his tone eerily detached. "He is sniffing the air.""Don't call me that right now," I snapped, my eyes flashing to the glowing blue tracking map. "Look at the screen. His lead vehicles halted just three blocks away. They’ve been idling there for ten minutes. Ten entire minutes, Jasper! My nerves are fraying into nothing."Nikolai stepped into the light of the monitors, his fingers restlessly twitching over the grip of his holstered
Chapter 180The hum of the surveillance equipment provided a low, mechanical heartbeat to the room. I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, my reflection a pale ghost against the backdrop of the city lights. Jasper was reclined in a velvet armchair, sipping tea with an unnerving calmness, while Nikolai paced the perimeter like a restless wolf. On the main monitor, the feed from Volkov’s penthouse played on a loop, his rage, the shattered cognac bottle, the feral look in his eyes as he roared into his intercom."Are you sure this is going to work?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. My hands were shoved deep into the pockets of my silk robe to hide the tremor. "He looks... he looks like he’s ready to tear the world apart.""What do you see on that footage, Aurora?" Jasper asked, not even bothering to look up from his cup."It's Evelyn," I gritted out, the name feeling like a shield I was losing the right to carry."Your marriage certificate says otherwise, Mrs. Kitonio," he countere
Chapter 80The Grand Sterling Gala was not merely a party; it was a high-stakes theatrical production where the costumes cost more than the average Spaniard’s mortgage and the subtext was written in blood. The Villa de Cristal had been transformed into a shimmering cathedral of decadence. Calla l
Chapter 77The invite hadn’t been a request; it had been a summons, delivered on a heavy cream cardstock that smelled of Lucien’s signature vetiver and the quiet threat of a man who was beginning to enjoy the chase a little too much."Staff Appreciation Dinner. The Terrace. 8:00 PM. Dress: Formal."
Chapter 81The silver lace of Evelyn’s dress had long since vanished into the glittering roar of the ballroom, leaving me alone in the shadows of the service corridor. My heart was still a frantic bird trapped in the cage of my ribs, and the Pancreas Prime, that disastrous, biological betrayal was
Chapter 74If Julian’s intrusion was a cold splash of water, Lucien’s presence was a slow, creeping fever.I was back in the nursery, the Navarino brace cinched so tight I could barely draw a full breath. I was bent over a low table, pretending to organize a stack of Leo’s complex architectural blu







