Both his hands went to her hips as he unleashed himself on her, giving them both what they desperately needed. It was only moments before she was crashing over into oblivion, her body unable to handle much more of the onslaught. He doubled over her second later, clutching her to him, pleasure claiming him in turn.
When she could think straight again, she was under the sheets with him, nestled up against his chest. He was holding hergently. He placed a kiss to the top of her head. “You shouldn’t walk around naked,” he murmured.
“You shouldn’t be such a bastard,” she grumbled back at him.
He chuckled. She could feel his mood drop. “Tomorrow isn’t just about eliminating Mael. It’s about survival. All of us—you, me, even Ivan—we’re all potential targets. And I need you to be careful.”
They’d started this game thinking they were the hunters, but somehow, they’d become the prey. Multiple factions circling, each with their own agenda, each seeing the wedding as an opportunity to reshape the metropolis.
“Are we making a mistake?” she asked quietly. “Should we abort, find another way?”
Raziel was quiet for a long moment, his fingers tracing small circles along her lower back. “We’ve come too far to turn back now. And honestly? I’m looking forward to it. Let them all come. Let them all make their moves. When the dust settles, we’ll be the ones left standing.”
His confidence was infectious, reminding her why she’d chosen to trust him in the first place. Despite everything—the blood, the surveillance, the approaching storm—she found herself smiling.
“Then, we see this through.”
“Together.”
Nadi couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking toward the edge of a precipice. Tomorrow would bring the moment when all their careful preparations would either secure their victory or destroy them utterly.
Even with how complicated their current situation made everything.
But tonight, in the quiet sanctuary of Raziel’s bedroom, she almost allowed herself to pretend that they were simply lovers planning their future together. Almost believed that the morningwouldn’t bring another performance, another layer of deception, another dance on the edge of a knife.
Almost.
Because the wedding was going to change everything. Somehow. Everything would be transformed.
In the darkness of the night, surrounded by shadows and secrets, Nadi closed her eyes and tried not to think about how many ways tomorrow could end in disaster.
TWENTY
The afternoon of Lana’s wedding dawned with deceptive serenity. Pale golden sunlight streamed through the windows of Raziel’s estate, casting everything in soft, honeyed tones that belied the violence planned for the day ahead.
Nadi stood before the mirror in his dressing room, adjusting the deep burgundy gown she’d chosen for the occasion. The silk fell in elegant lines to just below her knees, the color complementing Monica’s pale complexion while remaining appropriately subdued for a family event. She’d swept her borrowed dark brown hair into an elaborate updo, secured with pearl pins that glinted in the afternoon light.
“You look beautiful, even if I have come to prefer your real face.” Raziel’s reflection appeared behind hers in the mirror. He was already dressed in his formal attire—a dark charcoal suit that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and the predatory grace of his movements. His long black hair was tied back with blood-red ribbon, and his crimson eyes seemed to glow in the soft light.
“I look like a woman about to attend her first Nostrom family wedding. Besides her own, of course, that went sohorriblywrong.” She turned to face him. “Nervous, excited, completely unaware that she’s walking into a war zone.”
His lips curved in that familiar, dangerous smile. “Perfect, then.”
She studied his face, noting the subtle tension around his eyes. “Are you ready for this?” Her going after his family was one thing. He was killing hisbrother.
“I’ve been ready for this my entire life.” He reached into his jacket and withdrew a small velvet box. “But first, there’s something I want you to have.”
Nadi’s breath caught as he opened the box to reveal an intricate silver necklace. The pendant was shaped like a serpent, its body coiled in an elegant figure-eight, with tiny garnets for eyes that seemed to blink in the light.
“It is white gold.”
“Raziel, I can’t?—”
“You can, and you will.” He stepped behind her, lifting the necklace to drape it around her throat. His fingers brushed the nape of her neck as he fastened the clasp, sending a shiver through her. “It’s not just jewelry. The pendant contains a small blade, dipped in a fast-acting poison—twist the head counterclockwise and pull.”
The weight of the gold against her skin was suddenly ominous. It was perfect for them, wasn’t it? “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” His hands settled on her shoulders, his eyes meeting hers in the mirror. “I am going to ask you for a promise, Nadi, though I know I have no right to.”
