جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 70

Chapter 59: The ShowMin-junI stood in front of the mirror. Adjusting my tie. Practicing my concerned face.She thinks I'm bad.Maybe I am.The thought made me smile. Then I wiped it away. Replaced it with something softer. Worried. Caring.Perfect.I'd spent three days planning this. Every detail. Every variable. Every possible outcome.Amara needed to see me differently. Not as a threat. As a hero. Someone who'd sacrifice himself for her son.And I knew exactly how to make that happen.I pulled out my phone. Called my assistant. "Is everything in place?""Yes, sir. The men are ready. They'll hit St. Augustine Academy at two PM. During lunch. Maximum students in the courtyard."St. Augustine Academy. The most prestigious private school in the city. Where senators sent their children. Where CEOs paid six figures a year for security and safety.Where everyone would assume their children were untouchable.Perfect target."And the guns?""Blanks. Except for yours. That one has real silv

Chapter 61: Moving InSt. Mary's Hospital - One Week LaterAmaraI stood outside Kang's room. Hand on the door.One week unconscious. Machines keeping him alive. Doctors saying "stable" and "wait."I was tired of waiting.The door opened. Dr. Reeves smiled. "Ms. Castellanos. Perfect timing. He's awake."My heart jumped. "He is?""Just woke up. He's asking for you. And the boy."Guilt twisted sharp in my chest. "Can we see him?""Briefly. He's still very weak."I turned to Kai in the waiting room. "Baby. He's awake."Kai shot up. Ran past me into the room.I followed slower.Kang lay in the bed. Eyes open. Pale. Weak. But alive."Uncle Kang!" Kai rushed to the bedside. "You're okay!"Kang's eyes found Kai. Something in his face softened. "Hey, kid. You alright?""I'm fine. Because of you." Kai's voice cracked. "You took the bullet. Why?""Because you're a good kid. And good kids don't deserve to die." Kang tried to smile. Winced. "Couldn't let your mom lose you. She's already lost enou

Chapter 64: ConfusionAmara - 11:47 PMI couldn't sleep.I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. The house was quiet. Kai asleep. Kang probably asleep too.Just me. Awake. Thinking about things I shouldn't be thinking about.I rolled over. Grabbed Lucian's photograph from the nightstand. The one I held every night.Except I hadn't held it last night. Or the night before.When had I stopped?I looked at his face now. Gold eyes. Sharp jaw. That smile that made my heart stop."I miss you," I whispered. "God, I miss you so much."And I did. The ache was still there. The emptiness. The constant reminder that he was gone.But something else was there too. Something I didn't understand. Didn't want to understand.I set the photograph down. Touched my wrist. The spot where Kang had held it earlier. During the bath.Why did I keep doing that? Why did my skin still feel warm there? Like his touch had left a mark.This was wrong. So wrong.I loved Lucian. I did. With everything in me. He was my mat

Chapter 66: The ConfessionNocturne - Private Club - 1:47 AMMin-junI sat in the private room. Red velvet. Dark mahogany. The kind of place humans didn't know existed.The kind of place vampires came to be themselves.Three figures sat across from me. Old friends. Ancient ones. Vampires who'd known me for over two centuries.Jae-sung. Korean. Older than me by fifty years. Sharp eyes. Sharper tongue.Nikolai. Russian. Built like a bear. Fought in wars I'd only read about.And Celeste. French. Beautiful. Deadly. The one who'd taught me half of what I knew about hunting."So." Jae-sung poured blood into crystal glasses. Fresh. Still warm. From the basement. "You've set your eyes on another one."I smiled. Took my glass. "I have.""Will it end like the rest?" Celeste's voice was silk. Dangerous silk. "Vienna? Prague? That mess in Tokyo twenty years ago?""No." I drank. Let the blood coat my throat. "This one is different."Nikolai laughed. Deep. Rumbling. "You always say that. Every time

Chapter 67: The Morning AfterAmara - 7:23 AMMy head was splitting.I opened my eyes. Sunlight stabbed through the curtains. Sharp. Painful. Deserved.I groaned. Rolled over. My mouth tasted like regret and cheap whiskey.Last night. Oh god. Last night.Fragments came back. The bar. The drinking. Coming home. Kang standing in the living room looking concerned and I—"Don't touch me!""You can never be him!""You're just a guest!"I pressed my hands to my face. Wanted to disappear. Wanted to rewind time. Wanted to not be the person who'd screamed at a man who'd taken a bullet for her son.My phone buzzed. Rachel.How are you feeling?I typed back. Like death.You were really drunk when you texted me last night.I scrolled up. Saw the messages I didn't remember sending.I yelled at himI was so meanWhy am I like thisWhat's wrong with me"Perfect," I muttered. "Just perfect."I needed coffee. Needed water. Needed to apologize. Needed to—No. I couldn't face him yet. Couldn't look him