A sound cuts through the silence. Dogs barking. A hunting call. Not random. Trained.
My dogs.
Artemis. Klause.
The corner of my mouth curves.
“Y-you think I wouldn’t protect my wife with everything I could?”
Gideon scoffs.
“You? You’re just a boy. Naïve enough to think you could ever take her from me.”
I hum under my breath, tilting my head, tasting blood. “I-I m-might be a boy compared to you.” My bloody grin spreads slow and feral.
“B-but my wife? She’s the very air I breathe.”
His jaw flexes.
“S-sounds like you should h-have dumped a-all our belongings.”
Confusion flickers in his eyes, just for a heartbeat.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” I continue, voice dipping dark. “My wife.”
The barking grows louder now. Closer.
“How many trackers d-do you think were on Seraphina?” I ask, a low laugh slipping out. “One? T-two?”
Realization dawns—rage twisting his face.
“I was expecting you,” I whisper. “Every piece of her jewelry has a tracker.”
My smile widens. “I m-might be a boy, but I’m a rich one. You just l-led a war right to your door.”
The moment the words leave my mouth, the dogs barks explode right outside the walls. Boots pound the ground. Shouts echo in the distance.
For the first time—Gideon looks afraid.
I chuckle, low and raw, blood dripping from my face.
“I hope your c-cults got h-health insur-rance,” I say, baring my teeth in a grin that’s more promise than threat.
“I-I g-guess your time’s up, bitch.”
“Get my wives out. Now.” His voice cuts through the room like a blade, calm but deadly.
A static-laced crackle comes from a walkie-talkie at his belt.
“Breach…breach…breach—”
The voice screams, then a gunshot rips through the compound, cutting the transmission short.
Gideon freezes, eyes narrowing. His hands twitch, fingers flexing, muscles coiling like a predator ready to strike.
I shift just enough to grin through the blood and grime, chains rattling.
He lunges at me, fists swinging—but the confidence is edged with panic now. The cold, calculated calm I hated so much is fraying.
