Elena’s hands trembled slightly as she stepped onto the private underground shooting range, the cold metal of the gun pressing against her palm. The room was dimly lit, the only illumination coming from the overhead lights that cast a harsh glow onto the row of human-shaped targets.Killian stood behind her, his presence both commanding and suffocating."Relax your shoulders," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear.She sucked in a sharp breath, but the tension in her body refused to ease.Killian’s hands slid down her arms, his fingers wrapping around hers as he adjusted her grip on the gun."If you hold it too tight, your shot will be unsteady," he said, his voice low. "Too loose, and you’ll lose control."Elena swallowed hard, the weight of the weapon foreign in her hands."Why are we doing this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Killian's lips curled at the question, his hands still guiding her."Because, sweetheart," he whispered, "the next time someone tries to
The penthouse was silent.Not the kind of silence that felt peaceful. Not the kind that brought comfort.This was the kind of silence that pressed against Elena’s chest like an iron weight.She hadn’t slept. Not even for a minute.Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the man’s body slumped over in the chair. She saw the blood pooling beneath him, dark and final.She thought she would feel horror. That she would wake up screaming.But she wasn’t horrified.She was changed.Elena sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her hands in the dim light. They were clean—Killian had made sure of that. But no matter how many times she washed them, she still felt the weight of the gun. The trigger under her finger. The finality of the shot.And the way it made her feel.Not regretful.Not broken.Powerful.She exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair.A part of her hated that realization.The other part?It craved more.Elena finally left her room just before dawn. The penthouse was quie
The blaring of the security alarm tore through the penthouse like a war cry.Red emergency lights pulsed in sync with Elena’s heartbeat, casting eerie shadows along the walls. The scent of gunpowder tainted the air, thick with the promise of violence and bloodshed.Killian moved fast, his sharp commands cutting through the chaos like a knife.“Lock down all exits! No one leaves unless I say so.”His men scattered, each taking a defensive position.Elena barely had time to react before Killian grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her close. His grip was firm, possessive—as if he was afraid she would be ripped away from him at any second.“Stay close to me,” he murmured. His voice was low, edged with lethal control.Elena swallowed hard and nodded.Then the first explosion rocked the building.Glass shattered. The force of the blast knocked a chandelier from the ceiling, sending it crashing onto the marble floor. Smoke curled through the penthou
The scent of gunpowder and blood still lingered in the air. The penthouse, once a place of power and luxury, was now a war zone. Bullet holes scarred the walls, shattered glass crunched beneath every step, and bodies—both of Killian’s men and Victor’s—littered the expensive marble floor.Elena stood in the middle of it all, her breath still coming in sharp bursts. Her hands trembled slightly, though she willed them to stop.She had killed tonight.Not just once, but twice.And the terrifying part? It had felt… right.Her heartbeat was still erratic, but not from fear. It was from the adrenaline. The power. The moment she had pulled that trigger and watched her attacker fall, something had clicked inside her.She wasn’t the same woman she had been when she first met Killian.She wasn’t a pawn anymore.She was becoming something else.Someone else.Killian stood across the room, his broad shoulders tense, his jaw tight with barely restraine
The air was thick with the scent of whiskey and cigar smoke, the dim lights of the private club casting long shadows across the polished marble floors. Elena sat beside Killian in a private booth, her posture relaxed but her mind sharp.Tonight was her first real test.Killian had brought her here to meet Senator Caldwell, a corrupt politician who had deep ties to Victor. The man had been paid well to keep his mouth shut, but Victor’s recent moves suggested that the senator had switched sides.And that was a mistake.Elena watched as the senator took a nervous sip of his whiskey, his fingers tapping against the glass in a frantic rhythm. His eyes flickered between Killian and Jax, then finally to her.“You’re new,” he muttered, attempting a smirk, though his voice wavered.Elena tilted her head. “You’re observant.”Killian didn’t look at her, but she felt his approval. He had told her to observe, but that didn’t mean she had to be silent.The senator exhaled sharply, shifting in his s
Elena sat on the edge of Killian’s massive bed, staring at her hands.They weren’t shaking.She thought they would.She had imagined guilt would come crashing down on her, suffocating her, making her regret what she had done.But there was nothing.No overwhelming grief. No panic. No sickness clawing at her throat.Only the memory of the way the gun had felt in her grip. The way her finger had pulled the trigger. The way the man had collapsed to the ground, his life extinguished in an instant.She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or terrified by the emptiness.The bedroom door creaked open, and she looked up to find Killian leaning against the doorframe, watching her.“You’ve been quiet.” His voice was unreadable, but his sharp gaze told her he was assessing her.Elena met his stare without flinching. “What do you want me to say?”Killian stepped closer, his movements slow and deliberate, like a predator testing its prey. He stopped ju
Elena could still hear the ringing of gunfire in her ears, feel the weight of the gun in her hand, smell the sharp tang of blood lingering in the air.The mansion was eerily silent when they returned.The others had dispersed, licking their wounds and downing whiskey like it was water. Jax had already collapsed onto one of the leather couches, groaning about a bruised rib, while the rest of the men cleaned their weapons.But Elena?She wasn’t tired. She wasn’t shaken. She was wired.She followed Killian through the dimly lit hallways, her body thrumming with adrenaline, her mind replaying the moment over and over again—the feel of the trigger beneath her finger, the way the man’s body crumpled, the rush that followed.She had killed again.And she liked it.At the top of the stairs, Killian stopped. He turned, watching her with an intensity that made her stomach tighten. The chandelier above cast golden shadows across his chiseled features, makin
Elena stared at her hands, the deep crimson of fresh blood painting her fingertips.The metallic scent clung to her skin, seeping into her pores. Her breath was steady, her pulse a slow, even beat. No trembling. No hesitation.She had done it.The man had screamed. Had begged. And in the end, he had talked.Jax stood beside her, arms crossed over his chest, his usual cocky smirk replaced by something far more serious. His sharp eyes traced her face, as if searching for a crack in the façade, waiting for her to fall apart.But she didn’t.Killian, on the other hand, looked downright pleased. He leaned back against the desk, watching her with a dark, amused glint in his eyes.“See?” he murmured. “It’s not so hard, is it?”Elena exhaled, lifting her gaze to meet his. “I did what had to be done.”Killian’s smirk deepened. He took slow, measured steps toward her, his boots clicking against the polished marble floor.“And now you understand.”
The sun was rising when Elena finally emerged from the compound gates at last.Squelching boots on gravel, morning dew hanging to the earth like a wet memory. The compound behind her, prison-like all those years, now in quiet pieces behind her. The demons that had haunted her all these years were concealed in dust and blood within.Freedom tasted bitter as it shouldn't have.It wasn't a triumph. It wasn't a shriek. It was locked away. Under control. As if her soul remained behind her body.Killian walked with her, his face granite, his stride off-kilter from combat. He'd said little since the air had purified. So had she. There were too many negative feelings vying for pole position in her heart, and none of them yet did.Ronan is a step, or two, ahead of the rescue team, sterilizing it. Shredded shirt, blood following along his temple, but his calm professionalism still very much present.They'd made it. Victor dead. His kingdom was destroyed. The dangers that had loomed so toweringl
Victor's voice hung in the air, words bitter and poisonous to every one of them. His tone that Elena remembered, was cold and deliberate, a tracker who enjoyed the hunt over the kill.Elena wrapped her hand further around the gun, metal pressing against the flesh of her palm. Killian came up before her, covering, something so automatic she did not even realize that she was doing it."You've played," Killian growled, his words low and menacing. "Tonight, that's it."Victor scoffed again, low-grade. "You're going to try to stop me now? All this?"His eyes flicked over to Elena, his lip curving more sadistic with each second. "And you too, little bird. Thought you flew free of me, didn't you?"Elena's blood turned icy at what he'd just said, but she was not going to back down. She allowed the crawling fear at the edge of her head, but she jammed it in. She was no longer little Elena anymore. She was a person to be feared now. She'd weathered it. And she'd weather this as well."You no lo
Air filled the air, as though it weighed itself down on her chest, and with each breath she took, it was that little bit harder to suck in. She sat behind the big table in the war room, map laid out before her there, eyes scanning the few markers and pins on it marking Victor's known territories. Her hand rested on the paper, the weight of the moment holding it back.Killian was at the far end of the table, his focus unwavering. His jaw was clenched, hands resting on the table in front of him as he went over the strategy again. Ronan was pacing, the tension palpable in every step he took.“We don’t have much time,” Ronan muttered, stopping by the map. “Victor’s moving. It’s like he knows we’re coming.”"He knows," Elena said, her voice frosty. "He's always three steps in front of us. But that's going to stop." Killian glanced at her, his black eyes frosty. "You're right. We need to take him hard and fast before he can regroup himself yet again. When we step inside, there's no turning
The evening had turned into one of strained silence, the kind that clung to the bony and rested heavily on the breast, all pulled tight. The rain had stopped hours earlier, but its bitter odor mixed with the damp coolness of the air, providing no comfort. It was just the empty buzz of the city and the quiet soft hush of wind that broke the stillness as Elena sat at the side of the bed, looking hard into the phone screen in her hand.She'd replayed it the hundredth time that evening. No messages. No news. Just a pain in waiting. In knowing something bad was going to occur, but not when and how it was going to occur.Killian's jacket, which had warmed his body, kept her shoulders covered. It was filled with his scent. Leather. Rain. A flicker of smoke with so much worse. She breathed in deeply, attempting to purify herself amid the pending madness. She did not know if she was doing it to calm her nerves, or perhaps the strange comfort of clinging to him as she could then — by smell, a f
The door snapped shut behind Killian, trapping them inside the tiny apartment, in a storm that wasn't about rain anymore.Elena stood her back to him, her arms wrapped around herself. She could feel the rain off his uniform, the cadence of his pulse-pounding too hard in the charged space between them.Neither of them uttered a word.Neither of them had any idea how.And then, almost like the punctuation on an exhalation, Killian spoke a word. His voice was low, worn to the edge of unrecognizability. "I shouldn't be here."Elena didn't turn. "Then why are you?"A harsh, anguished silence hung between them."Because even when I know that I should let you go. I can't."Her nails dug deep into her arms. She hated how badly she wanted to believe him. How badly she still wanted him, no matter what."You're wet," she said coldly, finally turning to confront him.Killian stood there, dripping on the floor, smiling like a man who'd already lost everything. His hair was plastered to his forehea
The club's thudding beat receded into the distance as a muffled thrum as Elena stood frozen, caught in Killian's paralyzing glare. His chest rose and fell as he battled to fight his way through the crowd that lay between them. Her legs, treacherous and shaking, refused to move.She still felt Victor's toxic whisper in her ear, still felt the ring of his laughter as he melted into darkness.And here now was Killian before her—seething at her like she'd pulled out his heart."Elena," he growled, catching up with her, his hold on her arm a little too hard. His touch, so heavenly and possessive, was like a vice then."Let me go," she snarled low, shoving him away.His eyes darkened. "What the hell are you doing here? With him?"Strangers looked around them. Elena didn't care. Let them stare. Let them see the girl so stupid as to believe she could be between two monsters.She squared her shoulders. "I had no idea he was here. I didn't do it on purpose."Killian's face hardened, fists clenc
The penthouse was filled with air—almost tangible with the weight of a thousand unreleased thoughts. Elena sat curled up on the couch, knees drawn up to her chest, staring into the fire raging in the center of the flames. The warmth did not touch her, though. Not when her entire world was falling apart around her all over again.Killian's feet were a few away, fists full in the back pockets of his jeans, jaw set to a hard line. He gave her everything. Everything. All. Of. The. Rest. In the interest of simplicity, he gave nothing but lumps of questions more than he ever gave."You knew… you knew Victor was alive," she said to him, voice frayed and exhausted by deceit. "And you made me think otherwise."He edged forward. "I never gave you any reason to believe otherwise. You didn't ask me. And I didn't tell you because I didn't know whether it was real or not. Not in the past few years, at least."Her eyes flashed with anger. "You lied to me. Like always. You play games, Killian. You ke
Elena's white-knuckled grip on the doorknob, her eyes fixed on Victor DeLuca—the man everyone thought was dead all these years.His smile never wavered. Crooked. Cold. Chilling."You were to be dead," she said with a gasp and stepped back, the pounding of her heart thudding in her chest like a war drum.Victor exploded into unbidden. "You should know better than anyone—ghosts don't die."Elena slammed the door on his back, rage shaking in her voice. "What do you want?"He looked around his penthouse, whistling low. "Impressive. Graves certainly spoils his favorite pets well. Nice.""Answer the question."Victor finally looked at her, eyes flashing with something unreadable. "I'm here to bring the truth. The truth about your family. About Killian. About all of this."Her blood chilled."I watched them kill," she provoked. "I don't want a fairy tale from the murderer."Victor's expression turned cold. "You think that I murdered them? That is what you have always thought?"She stood with
The moment the second Elena entered Graves Enterprises, she felt the air change. Whispering ceased. Glaring persisted. Every single employee in the lobby glared at her as if they already knew whatever had transpired behind those penthouse doors last night. The knowledge set a burst of color racing up her neck, otherwise, she was chilled and composed.Killian had called her so many things. Emotionally. Physically. Professionally. And now—everyone could tell.She moved through the building as if it were hers. But the truth was, ownership came at a cost. And last night, she'd paid in a manner she never meant to—losing part of her heart that she'd promised to keep closed off.“Ms. Black,” James, Killian’s assistant, greeted her with an awkward smile. “Mr. Graves has a meeting scheduled in ten minutes. He asked if you’d attend.”"Did he?" Elena raised an eyebrow, taking the tablet from him. "Is Sophia Monroe invited?"James hesitated. "Yes… among others."Of course. Sophia. The woman who s