“We were told that Thane was dead.”
Chapter 70
Riven stepped forward, his brows drawn tight. “Who said that?”
Luca’s jaw flexed. “Caerel. Earlier this evening he called an emergency meeting. Said he had verified intelligence—his words—that Thane had been killed in action.”
Thane didn’t react outwardly, but Riven saw something tighten in his shoulders.
“And after that?” Thane asked, voice clipped.
Cassian answered this time, his tone grim. “That’s when the attack began. The wards failed just after the meeting ended. Half the estate was already breached before anyone realized.”
Thane’s eyes flicked between them. “Do you know where the Matriarch is?”
Luca shook his head. “Caerel led her and Asterian away personally. Said he was taking them to safety. We assumed he’d bring them here, but—” His mouth pulled into a frown. “He didn’t. They must’ve gone to another panic room. Or…somewhere else.”
A cold weight settled in Riven’s gut.
“Come with us,” Thane ordered. “Both of you.”
Cassian and Luca nodded, already tucking their weapons against their chests, shifting out of their defensive stance.
Sorrell stepped up beside them, gesturing to his team. “Half of you, stay behind and secure the infirmary. Anyone tries to breach this door, you drop them.”
Acknowledgements came sharp and quick, and the rest of the strike team fell in behind Thane.
As they moved out, Riven drew up alongside Thane. His voice was low but urgent. “It has to be Caerel. Who else would’ve known about your ‘death’? That lie was meant to demoralize the estate before the attack hit.”
Thane didn’t answer right away. The flickering hallway lights caught the edge of his profile—hard, unreadable, like a blade turned flat to hide its edge.
Riven pressed on. “He also organized the mission that led to me getting captured. If that wasn’t a setup…”
Thane exhaled through his nose, a sound that barely disguised the fury beneath. “I think it’s likely too,” he said at last. “And if that’s true…then he’s leading the Matriarch straight into a trap.”
Behind them, Cassian gave a dry cough that might have passed for a laugh if not for the bodies they’d just stepped over. “Nice to see you in clothes for once, Sorrell.”
Sorrell didn’t miss a beat. “Good to try new things every now and then.” He managed a smirk, but it didn’t reach his eyes. The humor fell flat in the charged air.
The corridor turned, and they followed Thane without question. Every step felt heavier now, the threat no longer distant but in the walls around them—close, breathing.
Luca moved up beside Thane. “Where do you think they went? The Matriarch and Asterian.”
Thane didn’t slow, his focus razor-sharp. “I have an idea.”
He didn’t elaborate.
Riven dropped back alongside Cassian as they moved, letting Thane and Sorrell take the lead. The Glint strike team fannedout behind them, practiced and alert, their quiet presence a steadying force amid the chaos. Every so often, the floor vibrated with distant detonations, low shudders that made it feel like the estate itself was shuddering apart.
Still, Riven’s pulse was evening out. It was ridiculous, but some part of him settled just from being near Thane. Used to be, that made him bristle—like his own instincts were betraying him. But not anymore.
Thane didn’t move like a man walking through a war zone. He moved like the war zone belonged to him.
They reached a stairwell overlooking the grand foyer, and Thane held up a hand. Everyone stilled.
“How bad is it?” Riven asked, voice pitched low.
Cassian didn’t answer at first. His jaw flexed, mouth drawn into a hard line. “Worse than it should be. It wasn’t just a breach—it was an infiltration. Coordinated. Precise. They hit too many points at once.”
