was unr

arp clench of his jaw when he scrolled through his encrypted tablet. Whatever peace he pre

red dress

ctor, but

e fire, even in a ho

were fixed on the gardener-an older man with weathered hands who always avoided eye

al

care

her, but not l

he gravel path toward the old fountain. The gardener paus

roses," s

enough to mutter, "Under

nch. Didn't lo

wal

to ask questions when

waited for the

at was where he held his secrets, and even monsters liked sh

ird ro

d damp beneath her nails. After two minu

ner phone and

ell tower strikes tw

nds tr

She knew traps. This

han

left the estate now, and the guards rotat

into her dress linin

she

ater, the be

in black, her pulse a dr

rang a se

mo

the servant's door into the dark. The cold air sl

ground and crawled under the gap

ps behi

to

bo

s swallo

Toward the old chapel she had seen from Victor's office windo

s, just as headlights

ca

e door opened and a famili

i

ink-just ran

her to his chest, then

gine r

," he

es on fire. "Good to see you, s

in shouts. Gunshots cracked. A b

d. "They kn

ng on it,"

, dust clouding the rear view. F

o her, voice low.

watched me sleep. Threatened

into the dashboard,

ve killed

he whispered. "I b

sharp breath. "

her coat. "It's all here. Transactions, off

ed shocked.

"He's coming for Victor. But he's wat

en trained Victor. He's not

o we do?"

over and to

rn the

d before the rose garden, eyes

d it," he

out of the shad

o," Lucien said. "She h

rned. "Yo

created you. Now I'm cr

regret

said softly

d out the window as the

lent, but his grip on h

ped the be

eading straig

e wasn't just fig

fighting