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Elena
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2026-03-12 04:28:53POV: Nikolai
ELENA “Is the information we got correct?” I asked my assistant the second the car door shut behind us. He flipped open his tablet without looking up. “One hundred percent, sir. My contact sent confirmation three days ago. The map is inside the Varyn estate. Someone else is hunting it too, but we don’t have a name yet. Could be anyone in the inner circle.” I drummed my fingers on the armrest. “Access level?” “Direct. Family or very close staff. That’s all he risked sending. We’ll have to watch tonight and narrow it down ourselves.” “Any chance the contact’s playing both sides?” “Low. I used the same channel we used for the Cold Stone deal. He knows what happens if he burns us.” He paused, then added, “You want me to stay in the car or shadow you inside?” “Inside. Blend. Eyes open. If anyone so much as mentions a map, an herb, or anything that sounds like old family lore, I want to know before they finish the sentence.” “Understood.” The car rolled to a stop at the estate gates. Lights blazed from every window. I straightened my jacket and stepped out. My assistant followed two paces behind, already fading into the crowd like he belonged there. I moved through the front doors without slowing. A few heads turned. I ignored them. Took a glass from the nearest tray and found a shadowed corner with good sightlines. I was not here to smile or shake hands. My uncle found me in under twenty minutes. “Kaden. Thank God you're here.” He wore relief on his face. Kaden? My expression turned grim. “You should have your eyes checked, Uncle,” I said flatly. “I’m not my brother.” “Nikolai?” His voice boomed across the ballroom like a cannon. He stared at me, genuinely shocked. “I’ll be damned. I sent the invitation as a courtesy. Never thought you’d actually show up. What changed?” I clasped his massive shoulder. “You said the family needed to see me. Figured I’d save you the next lecture.” “Ah… Nikolai. My mistake. I thought you were Kaden. The two of you look so alike from a distance.” Nikolai’s jaw tightened. “We don’t.” He laughed, loud enough to turn a few more heads. “You look like you’ve been living in a cave. When’s the last time you slept in a real bed? Come on, eat something before you fall over.” “I’m fine, Uncle.” “Fine?” He snorted. “You’ve been gone two years. Two years! And now you stroll in looking like death warmed over. At least tell me you’ll stay longer than one night.” “One night is all I need.” He leaned in, voice dropping. “Kaden’s here somewhere. Married well, that boy. His wife’s a good woman. Quiet. Pretty. Shame he doesn’t seem to notice half the time. You should meet her.” “I’ll pass.” Uncle clapped me on the back again. “Suit yourself. But don’t disappear on me. Family, Nikolai. That still means something.” He finally wandered off toward the food tables, still shaking his head in disbelief. I drained the glass and took another. My assistant appeared at my elbow like a ghost. “Anything?” I asked quietly. “Nothing on the map yet. Three people in the inner circle are acting normal. Too normal. I’m watching them.” “Keep watching.” I scanned the room again, slower this time. Clusters of laughter, careful conversations, the same performance I’d grown up in. Then my gaze snagged. Near the far wall, slightly apart from her group, stood a woman in a sleek black dress. She held her champagne like she’d rather be anywhere else. The look on her face was raw, unguarded, beautiful in a way that hit me square in the chest. High cheekbones, dark hair pinned up, eyes that seemed to see straight through the bullshit around her. For one long second the entire ballroom narrowed to just her. My pulse kicked hard. I hadn’t felt anything like that in years. I forced my eyes away. “Who is she?” I asked my assistant, voice low. “Woman in the black dress, far end of the hall.” He followed my glance, then shook his head. “I don’t know yet, sir. She’s not on my preliminary list. Give me five minutes and I’ll have a name.” “Do it.” He melted back into the crowd. I took another drink, trying to shake the image of her. It meant nothing. I was tired, the whiskey was hitting harder than it should, and I’d been alone on that mountain too long. Still, my eyes kept drifting back to her. My assistant returned faster than expected. “Still nothing solid. She arrived with Kaden’s party, but no confirmed identity yet. I’ll keep digging.” “Good. Don’t stop.” I set my empty glass down harder than I meant to. The room felt too loud now, too bright. The whiskey had loosened something I usually kept locked tight. I needed air. Needed to clear my head before I did something stupid like walk over there. I slipped out of the hall without another word. The corridor was quieter, cooler. I kept one hand on the wall as I walked because the floor had started tilting. My room was supposed to be the third door on the left in the guest wing. I counted them twice to be sure. Found the handle. Pushed the door open. And stopped.
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