Every brother turns to stare at me with expressions ranging from shock to barely contained fury that I just called out a problem in their operation, that I had the audacity to suggest improvements instead of keeping my mouth shut and staying grateful for the privilege of breathing.
Flux snatches the notebook from my hands with speed that makes me flinch, his eyes scanning my notes with intensity that suggests he’s looking for errors, for proof that I’m talking out of my ass instead of actually understanding the complexities of money laundering through supernatural channels.
His expression shifts as he reads, calculation replacing hostility as he processes what I’ve outlined. “Holy fuck. She’s right. The exchange timing is off by just enough that we’re hemorrhaging money every single transfer.” He looks up at Maul, something like respect flickering across his features before disappearing behind professional neutrality. “This would save us five hundred grand annually.Minimum.”
Maul’s jaw tightens, muscles flexing as he grinds his teeth together in what might be frustration or might be grudging acknowledgment that the human prisoner just proved herselfmore valuable than any of them wanted to admit. “And you figured this out how?”
“I used to work in finance.” The confession escapes before I can stop it, truth spilling out in the face of direct questioning. “Before photography. Before I decided that corporate America was slowly killing my soul. I spent three years managing offshore accounts for clients who didn’t ask questions, and I didn’t volunteer answers. So, yeah, I know how cryptocurrency transfers work. And yours are structured inefficiently enough that any decent auditor would flag them immediately.”
“Any decent auditor.” Scar’s voice carries amusement from across the table, his smile widening into something that shows too many teeth. “But we don’t attract decent auditors. We attract those who are either corrupt enough to ignore obvious problems or stupid enough not to see them. Present company excluded, apparently.”
The compliment lands awkwardly, wrapped in mockery and genuine respect that I don’t know how to parse. I duck my head, returning attention to my breakfast with a focus that suggests I’m done contributing to conversations that make me feel exposed and vulnerable despite the protection Raze has supposedly extended.
The meal continues in relative silence, tension bleeding away as the brothers accept my presence with the same pragmatic efficiency they apply to every other uncomfortable truth. By the time plates are cleared and coffee cups refilled, I’ve almost convinced myself that this might become routine, that eating with predators who could tear me apart might become normal if I keep proving useful enough to warrant breathing.
Then Thorn materializes from the shadows near the door, his bark-covered form blending with the stone walls until he steps into the light and becomes something vaguely humanoid rather than just ambient darkness. Branches sprout from hisshoulders, thorns catching fluorescent glow as he moves toward the table with that rustling sound leaves make when disturbed by wind.
“We have a problem.” His voice carries the weight of ancient forests, deep and resonant, and impossible to ignore. “The fae gang. They’re making moves on Eastern territory again. But this time, they’re not testing the waters. They’re claiming territory, trying to take what’s ours.”
The temperature in the room drops so fast that I see my breath fog white. Every brother’s posture shifts simultaneously, relaxation transforming into coiled violence as they process what Thorn just stated. Maul’s hands curl into fists on the table, claws extending slightly before he forces them back under control. Flux’s form flickers between human and predator so rapidly that I can’t track the transitions. Even Scar’s casual elegance hardens into something deadly, red eyes glowing brighter as fangs descend past his lower lip.
Raze appears in the doorway like he was summoned by the shift in atmosphere, his presence filling the space with enough cold fury to make ice form on the nearest surfaces. His eyes find mine across the room, glacial-blue fire burning with intensity that makes my heart stutter before he turns his attention to Thorn.
“Details.” The single word emerges sharp enough to draw blood.
“They hit one of our logging yards on the Eastern slope,” Thorn says, branches rustling as agitation bleeds through his usually even tone. “Ran off the security detail without casualties, but they didn’t come for the equipment. They came for the message.” He pauses, bark creaking as his jaw tightens. “They carved their mark into the main support beam. Deep enough, it’ll never fully heal. It’s a declaration. They’re claiming everything that feeds the mountain as their territory, effectiveimmediately.” Thorn’s gaze lifts to Raze’s, anger no longer contained in the subtle shiver of leaves. “This isn’t posturing anymore,” he says. “They’re cutting at our roots.” His branches still. “This iswar.”
Raze’s jaw tightens, frost spreading from his hands to coat the doorframe in delicate crystalline patterns. “Church. Now. All brothers present.”
The dining hall empties in seconds, brothers moving with practiced efficiency toward the room they use for these sacred meetings. I start to follow, some part of me assuming I’m included in the‘all brothers’directive despite the obvious reality that I’m neither brother nor supernatural nor remotely qualified to participate in war councils.
Scar catches my arm with that vampire speed that makes transitions seem like magic, his grip gentle but unbreakable as he steers me away from the flow of bodies heading toward church. “Not this time, little human. War planning isn’t for civilian ears, even ones under the president’s protection.”
“But… I might be able to help—”
“By doing what?” His smile carries fangs and centuries of experience watching humans overestimate their usefulness. “You’re smart with numbers and legal loopholes. You’re not equipped for the kind of violence we’re about to discuss. So you go back to your room, you stay there until someone tells you it’s safe, and youdon’tdo anything stupid like trying to escape while we’re distracted withrealthreats.”
The dismissal stings more than it should, reinforcing the reality that I’m tolerated here, not trusted, useful enough to feed but not valuable enough to include in decisions that might determine whether this entire operation survives the next twenty-four hours.
He guides me back toward my room with movements that flow like silk, his presence both escort and guard as wenavigate corridors that twist and turn through the mountain’s belly. When we reach my door, he releases my arm and studies me with eyes that see too much. “The world moves on, Roxy. We stay the same. Sometimes I miss it.” The words emerge soft enough that I almost don’t hear them, vulnerability bleeding through the predator’s façade for just a moment before disappearing behind his usual smirk. “You remind me of that. Of change. Of possibilities beyond territory, violence, and the endless cycle of defending what’s ours.”
The confession catches me off guard, genuine emotion from a vampire who’s spent five centuries perfecting the art of appearing untouchable. “Scar—”
“Stay in your room, Roxy.Please.”The plea transforms the order into something closer to a request, almost gentle despite the circumstances. “The fae won’t hesitate to use you against us if they find you wandering. And explaining to Raze why I let his human get kidnapped would besignificantlyworse than whatever torturethey’ddo to me.”
Then, before I can reply, he’s gone, disappearing with that supernatural speed that makes my brain struggle to process how someone that size moves that fast without disturbing the air or making a sound.
I enter my room and close the door, the lock engaging automatically from the outside with clicks that remind me I’m still a prisoner despite the freedom to walk unchained through dining halls and contribute to financial discussions.
The window draws me, as always, barred glass offering views of mountains painted gold by the afternoon sun. I press my forehead against cool panes and try to calm the anxiety clawing up my throat, the terrible certainty that the brothers are about to ride into violence that could get them killed,could get Raze killed,could destroy the fragile stability I’ve found in this impossible situation.
Minutes crawl past with the kind of agonizing slowness that makes seconds feel like hours. I pace the small space, wearing paths in carpet that’s already threadbare from decades of similar nervous energy. My hands shake slightly as I pick up ledgers and set them down again, unable to focus on numbers when my brain keeps supplying images of Raze frozen solid by fae magic, of Scar drained dry, of the entire club torn apart by beings powerful enough to challenge dragons for territory.
Then the floor shivers beneath my feet as the first engine turns over. The sound thickens, stacking and surging until it becomes a deafening roar, metal and fury given voice through machines designed to carry predators into battle. I rush to the window, pressing against bars that won’t budge no matter how hard I push. The motorcycles roar to life in perfect synchronization, their sound echoing off mountains and stone until it feels like the entire world is vibrating with their fury. Then they’re moving, tearing out of the compound with enough speed to leave snow-covered gravel spraying in their wake.
Ruckus leads the formation, his bike cutting the line with effortless confidence, gold charms woven into leather and chrome catching the light as luck bends subtly in his wake. Engines that should sputter in the freezing cold don’t. Tires find traction where they shouldn’t. The road itself seems inclined to cooperate as he guides them forward.
Raze rides just behind him, a dark, inevitable force at his back, his custom Harley gleaming black with ice-blue accents that mimic the scales beneath his skin. Scar flanks to the left, Wreck to the right, the rest of the club spreading out behind them in patterns built for intimidation and efficiency. Even from this distance, I see frost creeping from Raze’s hands to sheath his handlebars, the cold rolling off him in visible waves that make the air shimmer, a promise of what waits at the end of this ride.
