It just feels like another lie we’re all trying to believe in.
I look at Jace again, and something inside me cracks. His mask—the one I used to think was indestructible—is gone. There’s just a boy standing in front of me. I want to hate him. I want to hate Dakota for failing to protect my sister. I want to scream until it fills the room.
But all I can do is whisper, “Bring her home.”
Jace’s eyes finally meet mine again, and this time, there’s fire behind them.
“I will.”
And the way he says it—it sounds less like a promise and more like a threat.
With Isobel missing,it’s all hands on deck, so Felix and Kellan join the rest of the Guild and search for Isobel. Everyone’s trying to find intel on Daniel and his movements.
Now, I’ve been stuck to Lucian’s side. He arranged for me to be “sick” soI can do all my classwork online in his office at Blackmoore. He wants to protect me for Isobel. But I want to be close in case we hear anything about her.
Lucian’s office smells faintly of cedar and old paper—rich, masculine, intimidating. I’ve been holed up here for hours, pretending to focus on my assignments while my stomach twists with every new report that comes in.
No word from Jace, Luca, Noah, or Dakota. No word about Isobel. Nothing but silence and the clicking of Lucian’s mouse as he works like the world isn’t falling apart around us.
I’m halfway through pretending to read an article when the door opens.
“Lucian,” a smooth, deep voice purrs. “You’re a tough man to pin down these days.”
Every muscle in my body tightens. Even without looking up, I know that voice doesn’t belong here.
Lucian doesn’t stand. “Gideon,” he says coolly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Gideon steps into the room. Expensive cologne, sharp suit, shark’s smile. Everything about him screams power—and poison.
He looks like Jace, if Jace had carved out everything soft and left only the cruelty.
I sink a little lower in my chair, slipping both earbuds but leaving one to sit loosely. The music’s not on—it doesn’t need to be. I just need to look like I’m not listening.
Gideon strolls to the window, hands clasped behind his back. “I heard about your little setback,” he says casually, like he’s talking about a business deal that went sour. “Tragic, really. I do hope you find the girl before she ends up another liability.”
The girl. Like she’s not hisdaughter.
Lucian’s jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. “She’s not a liability.”
Gideon hums. “No? Because last I checked, she’s cost you one initiate, half your resources, and a great deal of credibility. Tell me, old friend—how much longer can you afford to keep looking for her?”
The air shifts. Lucian’s tone turns to ice. “You forget yourself, Gideon.”
“I’ve forgotten nothing.” Gideon turns. “I remember when the Guild was efficient. Ruthless. Now you’ve got a bleeding heart at your center, and it’s leaking all over your reputation.”
My hands curl into fists under the desk. Every word feels like acid.
Lucian leans back in his chair, unreadable. “You came all this way to criticize my management?”
“Hardly.” Gideon steps closer, resting one hand on the back of the chair opposite Lucian’s desk. His gaze flicks toward me. “Just checking in. Offering my… support. I’d hate to see another promising young woman lost to poor leadership.”
His smile is all teeth.
I keep my head down, but his eyes linger on me for a second too long. I feel it like a hand on the back of my neck.
Lucian’s voice cuts through the tension. “You can keep your concern. I don’t recall asking for it.”
“Ah, but you will,” Gideon says, straightening his tie. “You always do, eventually. Let’s hope the girl’s still alive when you realize it.”
