I didn’t pull away.
Neither did he.
Phoenix pressed a button I hadn’t noticed before, and a narrow panel on the wall slid open with a faint hiss, revealing a biometric lock. Extra precaution. My heart ticked a little faster.
Without hesitation, he placed his palm against the glowing screen. A soft hum vibrated through the air, followed by a green pulse of light.
“Elite master Shade, Phoenix. Clear,” a voice chimed from the panel.
He glanced sideways, catching the surprise on my face, and winked. “Security’s tighter these days.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I suppose you have to protect your latest acquisition, huh.”
His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Something like that.”
When the elevator chimed and the doors slid open, I found myself staring into a grand lobby I had never seen before. The ceiling arched high above us, vaulted and domed in elegant stonework, while polished wood floors gleamed beneath our boots. But none of that held my focus.
There, across the room, stood a door. A real one. Heavy glass and steel framing the impossible: daylight.
We stepped out, the elevator sealing shut behind us with a softhiss, as if locking away the world I’d just come from. The air felt different here. Lighter.
Beyond the door, framed in the morning sun, Slade and Thorne stood with their backs to us. Both dressed down in civilian clothes, dark coats and fitted trousers, just like Leo and Phoenix. The shift in appearance was subtle, but it made them feel more dangerous, not less.
Their presence was quiet and watchful.
When we stepped outside, the cool air hit me like a sharp, welcome reminder of freedom. The horses were tethered nearby, their breath misting in the morning light.
Thorne stood by one of the horses, his jaw tight, eyes locked on the creature’s reins as if it was the only thing holding his attention. He didn’t look at me, not yet.
I started toward Leo automatically, my feet already moving in his direction as if they knew where they were supposed to go. But then—before I could even make it halfway to him—something stopped me.
A strong, unyielding hand closed around my wrist, pulling me back.
I spun around, ready to snap at whoever had the audacity to touch me, but then I saw him.
Thorne.
His jaw was clenched, eyes dark with an intensity I hadn’t expected. "Not Leo," he said, his voice a low growl. "You’re riding with me, Elira."
I pulled my arm out of his grip, glaring at him.
“No, I’m not.”
Leo stepped forward instinctively. “I can take her…”
The look Thorne sent him could’ve melted steel.
"Don’t make me drag you," he warned, his voice still calm, but there was a raw edge to it. A warning I knew all too well.
Before I could finish my sentence, his hand shot out again, gripping my wrist with unrelenting force. I didn’t even have time to react before he yanked me toward him.
"Stop," I hissed, trying to wrench myself free. "I’m not—"
Thorne didn’t listen. He only tightened his grip, dragging me toward the waiting horse, his eyes dark and unreadable.
I dug my heels in, pushing back, my body resisting his force. "Let go of me, you jackass!" I growled, my heart pounding with a mix of fury and something else I didn’t want to admit.
"You don’t get a choice," he said, his voice steady, though there was a dangerous edge to it. "Get on the horse. Now."
