The Black Rose의 모든 챕터: 챕터 101 - 챕터 110

ELLIE"You're not bringing that."I looked up from the sweater I was folding, my hands stilling on the soft knit fabric. Lorenzo leaned against my doorframe, arms crossed over his chest in that way that made his biceps strain against the fabric of his fitted black henley. He'd changed since dinner, swapped the casual workout clothes for dark jeans that hung low on his hips and that damn shirt that did absolutely sinful things to his shoulders.My mouth went dry just looking at him."It's a sweater," I said, holding up the oversized gray knit like evidence in my defense. The thing was massive, drowning my frame whenever I wore it, but it was soft and warm and mine. "Norway is cold.""Norway is cold," he agreed, his voice carrying that edge of amusement that meant he was about to say something that would piss me off. He pushed off the doorframe with lazy grace, each step toward me deliberate and measured. "But that thing is three sizes too big and looks like it survived a war."Heat cra

ELLIEThe private jet touched down in Norway at some ungodly hour of the morning when the sky was still dark and my body had no idea what timezone it was supposed to be functioning in. My eyes felt gritty from lack of sleep, my neck aching from the awkward angle I'd dozed off at against the window.I'd tried to sleep during the flight. Really tried. But every time I closed my eyes, my mind spiraled back to Elijah. To my father. To the fact that we were running instead of fighting, and what that meant about how serious this threat actually was.Lorenzo had worked through most of the flight, his laptop open on the table in front of him, fingers flying across the keyboard as he handled whatever business couldn't wait. The blue light from the screen had cast shadows across his face, highlighting the sharp angles of his jaw and cheekbones. Even exhausted and stressed, the man looked like he'd stepped out of some expensive magazine spread.Silas had passed out almost immediately after takeo

ELLIEThe master bedroom was exactly as beautiful as the rest of the cottage, all exposed wood beams and soft lighting that cast everything in warm amber tones. The bed dominated the space, massive and covered in a charcoal gray comforter that looked like it could swallow me whole. Dark wood frame. Headboard that stretched nearly to the ceiling.Floor-to-ceiling windows lined one wall, currently showing nothing but our reflections and the darkness beyond. During the day, this view probably made the expensive real estate magazines cream their pants.My pathetic duffel bag sat on the bench at the foot of the bed, wrinkled clothes spilling out from where Silas had stuffed everything in without any regard for organization.Four people. One bed.I was too tired to care."Bathroom's through there," Noir said from the doorway, jerking his chin toward a door on the left. Then he disappeared back down the hall without waiting for a response.I grabbed my bag and escaped into the bathroom, shut

LORENZO I couldn't breathe, not with the worry, the dread and panic that sat heavily on my chest like a bag of rocks. Crushing and squeezing so tightly until the pain became almost physical.Control was slipping through my fingers like water, and I fucking hated it.I stared at the laptop screen in front of me, the blue light casting shadows across the dark wood desk, and tried to focus on the encrypted messages I'd intercepted from one of Nikolai's known associates. The words blurred together. My jaw ached from clenching it for the past three hours.This study was immaculate. Of course it was. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined two walls, filled with books in multiple languages. A massive window overlooked the frozen lake, the view probably meant to be calming. The desk was solid oak, expensive, with enough space for multiple monitors and equipment.After I'd cooked lunch—if you could call throwing together omelette and bacon at twelve in the afternoon lunch—and watched Ellie eat wh

SILASThe basement gym was exactly the kind of over-prepared bullshit I'd expect from Noir's secret hideout. State-of-the-art equipment, rubber flooring that absorbed impact perfectly, and enough weapons mounted on the walls to start a small war.Because of course Noir had a fully equipped gym in his mystery cottage. Why the fuck wouldn't he?I taped my hands, watching Noir do the same across the mat from me. His long hair was tied back in that severe knot that made the scar on his face even more pronounced. Shirtless, every inch of scarred muscle and ink on display, he looked like exactly what he was—a weapon barely contained in human form.My ribs still ached from the beating I'd taken two days ago, but fuck it. Sitting around doing nothing was driving me insane."You sure about this?" Noir asked, his mismatched eyes tracking the way I favored my left side. "You're still injured.""I'm fine." I rolled my shoulders, ignoring the protest from my bruised ribs. "Besides, when has that e