تسجيل الدخولSeraphina jumped up, aiming the rifle. "Who's there?"The door swung open slowly.A man stood there. But it wasn't Marcus.It was Arthur.He was wearing a thick winter coat, and he was leaning heavily on a cane. His face was bruised, his nose crooked from where Julian had headbutted him."Hello, daughter," Arthur wheezed. "Hello, Julian. Hello... Elias.""You're dead," I said, my voice trembling. "I saw you fall.""I have nine lives, kid," Arthur grinned. "Just like my son.""Son?" Seraphina looked confused. "What are you talking about?"Arthur hobbled into the room. "Didn't Julian tell you? I'm his father. And Evelyn... well, she's his mother. Which makes us a very happy family."He looked at Seraphina. "And you... you're just a mistake. A byproduct of my boredom with your mother."Seraphina’s face twisted in rage. She swung the rifle toward him.Arthur didn't flinch. He raised a small device in his hand. A detonator."I wouldn't do that," he said pleasantly. "This whole station is w
The thumping of the rotors beat against my skull, a chaotic rhythm that matched the frantic pounding of my own heart. The snow was blinding, a wall of white that reflected the searchlight sweeping back and forth across the valley like the finger of God seeking sinners."Julian, wake up!" I screamed, dragging him through the deep powder.He was dead weight, his head lolling, his legs trailing uselessly behind us. Every step was a battle, the snow sucking at my boots, trying to pull me down into the frozen earth.The helicopter banked sharply, the downdraft from its blades sending a blizzard of ice and snow swirling around us. I couldn't see the markings on the tail, but I didn't need to. They weren't rescue.They were reapers.I spotted a jagged outcropping of rock about fifty yards ahead, looming like a black tooth against the grey sky. Beneath it, a dark fissure gaped open—a small cave, or just a crack in the mountain's face."Come on," I grunted, digging my fingers into Julian’s jac
"Uncle Marcus," Julian said. "It's Julian."A long silence on the other end."Julian," my uncle’s voice came through, cold and suspicious. "I heard you killed my brother. And that you kidnapped my nephew.""I didn't kill your brother," Julian said. "And I saved your nephew's life. Arthur is dead. Evelyn is... back.""Back?" Marcus’s voice sharpened. "Impossible.""She's very real," Julian said. "And she's coming for all of us. I have Elias. We're on a plane. I need sanctuary."Marcus laughed. "You want sanctuary from me? After everything your family did to mine?""Your niece Seraphina is in a mental hospital, Marcus," Julian said, his voice hard. "She tried to kill us. Evelyn manipulated her. If you want to protect the family legacy, if you want to keep Evelyn from taking over Vane Corp and burying the Thorne name... you'll help us."Another silence. Longer this time."Where are you headed?" Marcus asked."Zurich. But I can divert.""Don't," Marcus said. "Come to Zurich. But not to the
The rearview mirror exploded into a spiderweb of glass as the black SUV slammed into the back of the ambulance for the third time. The vehicle shuddered, metal groaning in protest, and I wrestled with the steering wheel, fighting to keep us from skidding off the slick, rain-lashed road."Elias!" Julian shouted from the gurney in the back. His voice was tight with pain and exertion. "They’re trying to pit us! Break!""I'm trying!" I yelled back, my knuckles white as I gripped the wheel. "I'm not a getaway driver!""You are tonight!" Julian commanded. "Take the next left. The dirt road. It’s too narrow for them."I saw the turn—a gap in the trees that looked more like a deer trail than a road. I stomped on the brake, swung the wheel hard to the left, and floored the gas.The ambulance tires churned mud, screaming for traction. We slid sideways, the rear end fish-tailing, but we bit into the gravel and shot onto the path.Behind us, the SUV tried to follow, but its wide chassis scraped ag
"I'm here," I said, gripping his hand. "I'm here.""She's here," Julian whispered, his eyes darting around the room until they landed on Evelyn. "Mother.""Hello, Julian," she said coolly. "Long time no see.""You're dead," he hissed, trying to sit up, but his body was too weak."I'm very much alive," she said. "And thanks to your little boyfriend here, I have everything I need."She tossed the blue syringe to me. I caught it."Save him, Elias," she said. "Or watch him die. The choice is
The fire alarm didn't just ring; it screamed.A cacophony of sirens erupted throughout the private clinic, piercing the quiet hum of the ICU. Red strobe lights washed the walls in a bloody, pulsating glow."Code Red! Evacuate now!" a voice boomed over the intercom.Chaos erupted. Doctors and nurses sprinted past the open door of Julian’s room, abandoning their posts to head for the exits or to secure critical patients on the lower floors.I knew it wasn't a coincidence. The Silent Partner was making good on her promise. She was clearing the path.I didn't hesitate. I ripped the heart monitor leads off Julian’s chest, silencing the agonizing beep. I yanked the IV out of his arm, ignoring the spray of blood. He didn't react. He was too far gone, his skin waxy, his breathing shallow and ragged."Come on, Julian," I grunted, stripping the blankets off him.I grabbed a wheelchair from the hallway and hauled him out of bed. He was dead weight, a heavy sack of bones and muscle. I lifted him,
My heart rate picked up, anticipation and a hint of nervousness warring inside me. "What do you want to try?""Answer the question first. Do you trust me?"I thought about it seriously. We'd only known each other for a day, which should have made the answer an automatic no. But something about him,
I woke up to sunlight streaming through my window and the unfamiliar weight of an arm draped across my waist.For a moment, I forgot where I was. Then everything from last night came rushing back. Dante. His mouth. His hands. His cock inside me.Oh god. What had I done?I was sore in places I'd nev
The kitchen smelled like pancakes and coffee. Elena was at the stove, Dad was checking his phone, and there was no sign of Dante."Morning, honey," Elena said brightly. "Pancakes?""Sure, thanks." I tried to sound normal, not like I'd just had my stepbrother's cock inside me an hour ago."Have you
Time in the backroom stretched and warped, each second an eternity of thick, suffocating silence. Asher’s breath hitched in his throat, his body frozen against the stack of bar mats. Every nerve ending was alight, screaming. Stay here. Don’t make a sound. Dominic’s command was a lifeline in the sto







