–Livana–
I visited my grandparents’ quarters in the underground base—an enclosed world designed to mimic comfort. Spacious enough. A curated illusion. A mini kitchen, a small living area, food delivered on schedule, a nurse stationed like a silent sentinel.
Safe.
Or as safe as I allow.
They rose from the sofa the mont I entered—too quickly, too eagerly. Their eyes widened, disbelief cracking through age and exhaustion.
"Livana!"
Grandfather Edward’s voice broke—longing, sharp with shock. He rushed toward ... or as close to rushing as his body would permit. Arthritis dragged at his movents, but he ca anyway.
He wrapped his arms around .
He felt... smaller.
Fragile.
Ti had carved him down into sothing almost unrecognizable.
I didn’t move.
Not an inch.
He pulled back slightly, his trembling hands rising to cup my face.
"Livy, it’s Grandpa." His lips pressed against my forehead, warm, desperate. "You’re alive..."
Tears stread from his blue eyes—eyes that once commanded rooms, now drowning in relief. His skin bore the marks of age—wrinkles like fractures, pale spots scattered like fading constellations.
My gaze shifted past him.
Grandmother Belinda was already breaking. Tears fell freely as she approached, each step asured with the aid of her cane. She reached and wrapped her arms around .
I did not return the embrace.
I rembered.
mory is a blade I never dull.
"I am only here to check on both of you," I said flatly, my voice stripped of warmth. "The Carrington residence has been surrounded. The n connected to Carrie and Casey are involved in sothing far larger than we anticipated."
A pause.
"They are close to wiping out our family."
"W-what?" she stamred. "Livy... look at , baby."
I lowered my gaze to her.
Shock. Fear. Confusion.
"How can you be so cold?" she whispered. "My dear..."
"Because I nearly lost everything," I replied quietly.
The truth did not need volu.
"I want you both to remain here. Do not agitate the guards. They are not your jailers—they are your shield."
"Where’s Reagan?" Grandfather asked quickly, gripping my hands. "Skyler? Zen? Zay?" His voice trembled. "Tell they’re safe."
I nodded once.
"Laura?" he pressed. "She’s pregnant—she’s well, isn’t she?"
Another nod.
"Do whatever you must, my dear," Grandmother murmured, wrapping her arms around my waist again. "Just... stay safe."
I inclined my head.
No kiss.
No softness.
"Where’s Damon?" Grandfather asked, glancing around. "He’s protecting you, isn’t he?"
I said nothing.
I am protecting him.
He stands on the front line—by our design. He draws the fire, absorbs the chaos, while I remain here—untouched, unseen—moving pieces across the board.
The King may lead the charge.
But the Queen ends the war.
"My Queen."
Commander Rhys.
To the world, she is rely Louie’s secretary.
To —she is a blade concealed in silk.
Louie knows nothing of her true allegiance. I ensured that. I built her identity myself—clean, untraceable. I need Louie exactly where he is. Loyal. Unaware.
So before Louie Lancaster ever rose to power, Rhys was already placed beside him—watching, listening, embedded. Even she has an assistant—another layer, another shadow.
I turned away from my grandparents without another word, leaving the room sealed behind .
"Rhys," I said as we walked toward the elevator leading to my office.
"Everyone is on standby," she replied crisply. "Francis is in the lab. The capsules are secured."
I nodded once.
Authorization. Confirmation. Control.
At the door, I raised my hand to the scanner. It read my biotrics—palm, then face. The lock disengaged with a soft chanical breath.
We stepped inside.
I took my seat behind the glass table, its surface flickering to life beneath my touch. A map unfolded—live data, shifting coordinates.
Two dots.
Damon.
Caine.
No visuals. No feeds. Just presence.
Uncertainty coiled in my stomach, tightening like a vice.
They remained in the sa location.
Reports indicated they had assisted the King’s n, alongside the Bishops and Knights, evacuating civilians. Efficient. Predictable.
The Pawns remained embedded—indistinguishable from ordinary lives. Blue-collar. White-collar. Invisible.
Exactly as intended.
"Demon King," I called, initiating the secure line.
Static—then—
"Fuck... baby." His voice was low, strained. "We’re surrounded. But we retrieved everything."
Everything else went still.
Surrounded?
Where were my n?
"Commander," I said sharply.
Rhys was already moving, fingers flying across the glass wall as screens multiplied.
"Alpha Sniper, do you copy?" she called. "Beta Sniper, respond."
Only static answered.
A dead channel.
A severed line.
"Stay where you are, my King," I murmured, my voice steady despite the fracture forming beneath it. "I will find you."
A breath.
"I love you," he said. "I’m destroying the comms."
The line cut.
Rhys and I exchanged a glance—silent, loaded.
Then—
Nothing.
The red dots flickered.
Faded.
Disappeared.
I stood abruptly, the chair scraping softly against the floor.
Rhys remained composed, but I knew her well enough to see the tension beneath her stillness.
But —
I was already unraveling beneath the surface.
His words echoed in my mind, sharp as a blade drawn across bone.
"Risk . I can’t bear to lose you again. Protect our babies... and go back to our Sky."
He chose this.
This war.
This sacrifice.
A ga played with blood and loyalty.
My fingers curled slowly at my sides, nails pressing into my palms.
No.
I will not lose him.
Not again.
If he insists on stepping into fire—
Then I will beco the inferno that swallows everything around him.
–David–
I was honestly impressed when Lore actually released gas around the mansion. They slipped in through the broken window at first—but the mont they realized the place was rigged with motion-detecting machine guns, they slowed down, ducking into the bushes like scared rats. Smart... but not smart enough.
What really caught off guard, though, was her.
A woman—out of nowhere.
Damn. Flexible. Precise. Dressed head to toe in black, gas mask on, moving like a shadow that decided to kill.
She picked them off one by one. No sound. No hesitation. Just a clean twist of the neck... or a quick injection into the skin. Efficient. Surgical. Like she’d done this a thousand tis before.
The gas slowly faded, sucked away by the ventilators, and just as everything cleared—
She turned to the cara.
Then removed her mask.
My eyes widened.
My delicate little secretary.
Yeah, okay—not delicate. I knew that. But still... how the hell did she just take down n twice her size like it was nothing?
And here I am getting ignored when I ask her to clear a few etings.
"Kelly?" I muttered, blinking at the screen.
"Oh, you didn’t know?" Lore chuckled.
I leaned forward, grabbing a few controls, helping him cycle through the caras. "I knew she wasn’t normal. Thought she was Livana’s or Damon’s kind of crazy."
"She’s a Rook," he said casually.
I frowned. "A Rook?"
"Livana assigns ranks based on chess pieces," Lore explained, eyes still glued to the monitors. The guy hadn’t blinked in what—hours? anwhile, my sister was knocked out cold on the sofa behind him.
"Huh." I leaned back slightly. "And what does a Rook do?"
"Protect the castles."
I watched the screen again.
The fortress system reactivated, and Kelly—alone—handled everything. She dragged bodies like they weighed nothing, stacking them neatly into a wheelbarrow. Clean. Organized. Like she was just... taking out the trash.
She’s strong as hell.
And yeah—she’s always been sexy. But this?
Fuck. My body reacted instantly.
I an... I’ve had fantasies about her before. More than once. Okay, a lot more than once. I might’ve even groped her when I was drunk... and she didn’t stop .
But the next morning?
She’d absolutely destroy —with work. While I was hungover.
God, I loved that.
"My little psycho..." I murmured under my breath.
"I should probably help her," I said with a shrug.
But then—
Whirring blades cut through the air.
Helicopters. Cargo attached.
I watched as a full cleanup crew arrived, fixing the mansion, replacing broken structures, wrapping up bodies like it was just another Tuesday.
"Rooks handle cleanup too," Lore added, yawning as he stretched. "She manages all of that."
He stood up. "I’m handing this over to you for now, Sophia."
"Got it," ca her voice through the comms.
"I’ll leave you, David," Lore said, already scooping my sister off the couch like she weighed nothing. He headed toward his sleeping quarters. "Press the red button if you need ."
I stared at the control panel.
"There are way too many red buttons, dumbass."
Lore laughed. "Right. The pink one. I picked that for myself."
I snorted. "Are you gay, bro? You get hard over my sister but pick pink?"
"Hey, pink isn’t gay."
Then he disappeared into his soundproof cave.
I shook my head, then waved at the cara. "Hey, Phia. How’s Kai?"
"He’s doing great. He can sit up now."
A grin spread across my face. "That’s good to hear."
My attention drifted back to the screens—back to Kelly.
Still commanding. Still flawless.
Still insanely hot.
"Damn... she’s sexy," I murmured.
Sophia laughed. "You’re lusting over your secretary?"
"She’s the best, Phia!" I shot back. "Did you see that? Smooth. Clean. Perfect execution. I an—if Logan didn’t steal Jane from , I would’ve been married by now."
I huffed a small laugh. "I liked Jane, yeah... but I couldn’t give her what Logan did. That guy went through hell for her." I shook my head. "She’s family to now. I’m just talking nonsense."
Sophia was laughing harder now.
"Oh my God. Just ask Kelly out casually. Don’t be a pussy."
"I am not a pussy," I said, offended. "I am a penis."
"A dick," she corrected.
"I’m not a douchebag, Phia," I shot back. Then smirked. "But yeah... I’ll think about it."
My mind drifted for a second.
That night.
Nothing happened—at least, not that I rember. But I woke up naked... and sore as hell. Like I’d gone rounds with soone all night.
Weird.
I was about to dig deeper into that mory when—
"Lore!" Livana’s voice cut through the line. Sharp. Urgent.
"He’s asleep," I answered.
A pause.
Then—
"I lost Damon on the radar," she said, quieter now. Controlled... but tense. "I’m afraid he and Caine were taken."
That did it.
My stomach dropped.
"Fuck."
Reviews
All reviews (0)