IVY’S POV
The driver pulled up in front of what looked like a modest vintage diner on the quiet side of the city, and I blinked, heels clicking against the pavement as I stepped out.This wasn’t the five-star rooftop restaurant I’d imagined. Not even close.But when the maître d’ opened the door with a polite nod, I understood.The diner was empty. Completely cleared out.Just one table in the center, beneath a chandelier that didn’t belong here, candles flickering low, a bottle of wine already breathing beside polished silverware.And at that table… them.Asher in a sharp black suit, tie loosened. Levi in a silky white shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, tattoos curling along his forearms. Kai’s blazer gone, dark curls mussed like he’d been dragging his hands through them all night.All three of them turned when I walked in.The look in their eyes? Hunger. Unapologetic.“Well, well,” Levi stood fiASHER’S POVThe guilt gnawed at me, sharp and insistent. Ella was out there because of me.Because of us.I rubbed my face, pulling at the stubble along my jaw. Feeling bad didn’t fix anything. Words didn’t undo this. Actions did. And right now, action was all I had.“Kai,” I said, voice tight, eyes scanning the screens in front of me, “what did you get from the Lantern?”He didn’t flinch. Calm, precise, eyes flicking between his tablet and mine. “Bartender says he was there last night. Had a meeting with someone I don’t recognize. Mentioned a cave… or some terminal port. Took notes, diagrams, maybe plotting something. Looked like scouting.”I exhaled, long and low, already thinking a dozen steps ahead. “List every cave, every terminal port in the area. Every exit near water. Every blind spot. I want coordinates, access routes, timings, everything.”Kai nodded, swiping the screen. “Six terminal ports near the sea. Three already occupied, teams in position. Fourth just left, should be
IVY’S POVI kept asking myself the same question, over and over, until it rattled like a loose screw in my skull: Why Ella?She was nine. Nine. Her biggest rebellion was sneaking marshmallows into her hot cocoa when Nana wasn’t looking. She still slept with the night-light shaped like a crescent moon. She shouldn’t have even been in Jace’s orbit.But she was, and it’s all my fault I’d agreed to this arrangement. I’d agreed to walk into Asher’s world, glittering and dangerous, because I thought it would give Ella something better. Protection. Security. Stability.Now my little sister was in the crosshairs of man I didn’t even understand.The thought made my throat tighten. It wasn’t fair. Ella should have been untouchable. She should have been safe.I pressed the heel of my palm against my eyes, trying to hold the tears back with sheer force. It didn’t work. My chest ached with the helplessness of it. But beneath the ache was something else, hotter, sharper.Resolve.I wasn’t going to
ASHER’S POV“He’s back.”“ He took her.”The words were like iron in my mouth. On the other end of the line, there was a cut of silence from both Levi and Kai clean, sharp, like a blade sliding free of its sheath.Kai spoke first, voice low, steady. “I suspected it. One of my guards said he thought he’d seen him at the diner last week, but he wasn’t sure.” A brief pause, like he was replaying the sighting in his head. “Said it was the walk. Couldn’t swear to the face.”Of course it was the walk. He never hurried, never strained. He moved like a man who believed the room already belonged to him.“You should’ve told me,” I said. The tightness in my jaw was an old feeling, familiar as an old scar.Kai didn’t flinch. “I didn’t have proof. I do now.”Levi cut in, blunt and heated. “He took a kid. That’s low, even for him.”He had always preferred leverage that bled slowly. Something that forced your hand and made you choose.“ Jace picked Ella because she’s ours,” I said. “Because he thinks
IVY’S POVThe words echoed in my head like they’d been shouted into a hollow room.Your sister’s been kidnapped.“What?When?How?”For a second, I couldn’t breathe. The world narrowed to the sound of Mrs. Brooks’ shaky voice on the phone and the pounding in my chest, I could feel myself gradually loosing balance.My lips moved before I even thought about what to say.“I’m.. I’m on my way,” I told her, my voice sharper than I intended. “Don’t… don’t let anyone leave. Don’t touch her things. I’ll be there.”Mrs. Brooks started to say something else, but I ended the call before I could fall apart. My hands and lips were trembling as I shoved the phone back into my purse.Levi straightened, coffee cup abandoned. “What’s wrong?”“My sister— she—she ” My voice cracked. “Ella’s been taken from school.” “ She was kidnapped.”For a moment, the air in the suite shifted, thick and electric. Levi’s expression hardened, but he didn’t move toward me. Instead, he exchanged a look with Kai—one of thos
IVY’S POVI woke slowly, like the world was pulling me up from somewhere deep and warm.My body felt heavy in the best way, wrapped in warmth and steady heartbeats. The sheets smelled like us, like skin, sweat, and a faint tang of wine. My hair was a mess, my lips still felt swollen from kisses , and every inch of me hummed with the memory of last night.I didn’t open my eyes right away. I didn’t need to but I could feel them.An arm was curved protectively over my waist. A broad chest pressed to my back. A tangle of legs anchored me in place, holding me there like I belonged.When I finally looked, the morning light was soft, gold seeping through the curtains and spilling across the bed.On my right was Asher with a sharp jawline, dark hair mussed from sleep, and lashes long enough to cast shadows on his cheeks. Even unconscious, there was something controlled about him, like he could wake up and take charge
IVY’S POVThe driver pulled up in front of what looked like a modest vintage diner on the quiet side of the city, and I blinked, heels clicking against the pavement as I stepped out.This wasn’t the five-star rooftop restaurant I’d imagined. Not even close.But when the maître d’ opened the door with a polite nod, I understood.The diner was empty. Completely cleared out.Just one table in the center, beneath a chandelier that didn’t belong here, candles flickering low, a bottle of wine already breathing beside polished silverware.And at that table… them.Asher in a sharp black suit, tie loosened. Levi in a silky white shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, tattoos curling along his forearms. Kai’s blazer gone, dark curls mussed like he’d been dragging his hands through them all night.All three of them turned when I walked in.The look in their eyes? Hunger. Unapologetic.“Well, well,” Levi stood fi