LOGINFantineThe cold rain was hitting my face and soaking straight through the fabric of my red dress as I stood in the middle of the gravel alley, and the bright headlights of the black sedans were blinding me so badly that I had to raise my hand to see the tall, gray-haired man stepping out from the rear seat of the lead vehicle. It was Marcello, my father’s oldest lieutenant and the man who had overseen my target training since I was a child, and as he walked toward us with his leather gloves tightly fitted around his fingers, the dozen enforcers around him shifted their automatic rifles to keep their barrels aimed straight at Riley’s chest."You really made a huge mess of things down here, Fantine, and your father is incredibly disappointed that his best asset is currently running through the city drains with a pack animal," Marcello said, his voice completely calm and level over the steady sound of the rain hitting the brick walls around us."My father doesn't have an asset anymore,
Riley The red emergency lights were flashing across the stone walls, and the loud sirens were making the small vault room feel like an echo chamber as I watched the heavy steel security door slide deeper into its track, locking us into the lower gallery before we could even make a run for the elevator banks. Fantine already had the leather folder tucked deep inside her red dress pocket, her hand resting firmly on her pistol grip while she scanned the narrowing exit path, and I knew that if I didn't use my wolf strength right this second, the automated quarantine walls would seal us fifty feet beneath the theater district until the high lords came down to collect our bodies. "The main corridor is completely blocked by the primary gate, Riley, so you need to break through the utility partition on the right side before the backup power kicks in and electrifies the iron mesh," she shouted, her voice cutting through the mechanical noise while she grabbed my shoulder to pull me away from
FantineThe velvet fabric of my red dress felt slightly restrictive as we stepped out of the brass elevator into the main lobby of the Blackwood Vaults, and Riley adjusted the collar of his expensive black suit while he gave a polite nod to the vampire receptionist sitting behind the marble desk. The subterranean facility looked like a high-end private club with its dark wood paneling and low lighting, but I knew from Julian’s layout maps that the stone floor beneath our polished shoes was loaded with pressure sensors and proximity wards designed to detect uninvited shapeshifters."Just keep moving toward the private viewing rooms on the left, Fantine, because the guard by the silver pillar is already checking his tablet and we need to log our entrance before the shift rotation changes," Riley murmured, his large hand resting flat against my lower back as he guided me past a row of velvet chairs."I see him, Riley, so stop looking directly at his security badge and try to act like a w
RileyThe screen of my burner phone was the only bright light left in the dark motel room as I waited for the call to connect, and my fingers were tapping a nervous beat against the cheap wood of the nightstand because the guy I was dialing was a half-blood vampire named Julian who used to manage our campus intramural leagues and now worked the late-night monitoring desk at the Blackwood Vaults. Fantine was sitting just two inches away from me on the edge of the mattress, her shoulder pressed right against mine as she tried to catch every sound from the speaker, and the scent of her skin mixed with the faint metallic tang of her fresh bandage was making my wolf growl with a restless, protective hunger that I could barely control in this cramped space."Riley, you shouldn't be calling this number at four in the morning unless your truck broke down on the state line or you finally decided to pay off that old tournament bet from sophomore year," Julian’s dry voice finally came through t
FantineThe neon sign outside the cracked window buzzed with a dull, irritating hum that kept flickering a harsh pink light across the peeling wallpaper of our tiny motel room, and the smell of old cigarettes and cheap cleaner was thick enough to make my nose itch as I sat cross-legged on the stained mattress. We were officially runaways from both the Thorne syndicate and the Hades wolf pack now, which meant that every car door slamming in the alley below made my hand twitch toward the stolen pistol on the nightstand, but the absolute quiet of the human downtown area was the only shield we had left until we could figure out our next move."The water in the bathroom doesn't even get warm, but I managed to clean the dirt out of my knuckles and check the truck plates from the window, so we should be safe here for at least a few hours before any of my father's scouts think to check these low-rent blocks," Riley said, walking out of the cramped bathroom with a fresh towel around his neck,
RileyThe hallways of the mansion were quiet, but I knew the senior guards were still patrolling the ground floor to make sure I didn't try anything stupid, so I stayed low against the wall while I crept toward the guard house where the duty officer kept the keys to the lower silver cells. My father had left the meeting hall about an hour ago to consult with the elders about the execution vote, and the second I heard the heavy clank of the main security gate, I knew that I had maybe twenty minutes before the council finalized the order and sent the heavy enforcer squad down to the cellar."Hey, Riley, you're not supposed to be in this sector after the Alpha told you to stay in the upper wing, so turn around and go back before I have to call the captain on the radio," the young guard at the desk said, his eyes widening as he saw me coming toward him with my fists clenched at my sides."Give me the master key ring for the lower level, and don't make me take it off your belt, because you
RileyI didn’t sleep.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the photo again. The notes. The cold, methodical breakdown of my life written neatly in the margins.Practice times. Class schedules. My routines. My injuries. My weaknesses.I’d stared at that piece of paper for hours after finding it, turni
RileyI couldn’t stop smiling.It was ridiculous. I knew it was ridiculous. But every time my phone buzzed with another message from Fantine, my face betrayed me. Lit up like I’d just won something.Fantine: You’re telling me you’ve never seen Star Wars?Me: I’ve been busy. Hockey. School. Being al
FantineThe abandoned parking lot looked like something the world had forgotten. Cracked asphalt stretched out in every direction, the faded yellow lines barely visible beneath dirt and time. Weeds clawed their way through the concrete, stubborn and ugly. On three sides, the woods crept in close, s
Fantine I didn’t sleep. Every time I shut my eyes, I felt it again, Riley’s mouth on my palm. Warm and intentional. My hand wouldn’t stop tingling, like he’d rewired something under my skin. Ava wouldn’t stop either. Go to him. We need him. Why are you fighting this? He’s ours. “He’s not ours







