The warehouse was silent now, Marcus defeated, but Amaya's heart refused to settle. Adrian's victory should have brought peace—but his enemies weren't the kind that stayed buried.
That night, she saw it for the first time: men kneeling in front of Adrian, swearing loyalty like soldiers to a king. His world was bigger, darker, and more dangerous than she ever imagined.
"Is this who you really are?" she whispered.
Adrian's gaze didn't waver. "This is the price of power. The price of keeping you safe."
Her breath caught. Safe. That word didn't belong in his world. And yet, she couldn't deny the way his arms felt like the only shield she had left.
Still, a question gnawed at her: Safe from who?