Page 148 of The Hunter's Empire

"I hope you do." There is no disappointment in Stefano's voice. Only concern. "We've sacrificed too much to lose sight of why this began."

I don't need him to remind me. Marcus murdered my father. That truth has guided every decision I've made for months.

"It hasn't changed." I tell him.

Whether I'm trying to convince Stefano or myself, I'm no longer certain. Before the silence can stretch any further, I end the call.

For a long moment, I remain on the balcony with the receiver still in my hand, staring out across the ocean. His words refuse to leave me, no matter how many times I remind myself why I came into Zora's life in the first place.

Eventually, I force the doubts back behind the walls where they belong, set the receiver down, and return inside.

Zora is already waiting outside. She glances up as I step into the corridor, and something in her expression softens.

"There you are." She says. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd decided to stay."

"I was tempted."

She laughs, shaking her head. "Come on. Let's say our goodbyes."

Most of the guests are waiting in the main hall. The farewells are brief but sincere before we make our way toward the waiting jet. Zora falls into step beside me, talking quietly about the flight back to Manhattan, but I barely register the words.

Instead, I find myself watching her. The realization settles over me with disturbing ease. She matters far more than she ever should. But I force the thought aside before it can take root. I refuse to let myself forget why I came into her life in the first place.

Chapter 31

Zora

Three weeks have passed since Nico dropped me home from Elysian Haven, and life has gradually slipped back into its familiar routine. Most of my days are spent moving from one meeting to the next, reviewing contracts, approving reports, and dealing with the countless responsibilities that come with running the Krogen Empire. Preparations for my coronation continue in the background, while the business itself carries on much as it always has.

It should be enough to occupy every waking moment. Most days, it is. Today... not so much.

I stare at the financial report lying open on my desk, my eyes following numbers that refuse to register in my mind. I've been reading the same page for the past five minutes without absorbing a single word.

Annoyed with myself, I close the file and lean back in my chair.

This is unlike me. I've always been good at compartmentalizing. Work stays at work. Personal matters stay exactly where they belong. Locked away somewhere they can't interfere with my judgment. It has been one of the few things I've always been able to rely on.

Lately, however…

My thoughts have developed an irritating habit of wandering toward the same person. The realization still catches me off guard every time it happens.

Three weeks isn't a long time. Although we haven't seen each other since leaving Elysian Haven together, we somehow never completely stopped talking. Our conversations are rarely long. Nico has been away on a mission. He never tells me where he is or what he's doing, and I never ask. Sometimes he'll disappear for a day before replying. Sometimes longer.

Yet somehow, no matter where he is in the world, he always finds a reason to send one completely unnecessary message. Usually just to annoy me.

A reluctant smile tugs at my lips as I unlock my phone and scroll through our conversation. Yesterday's messages are still near the top.

Nico:Elf, you better not be working yourself to death.

I remember rolling my eyes the moment I read it.

Me:Weren't you supposed to be busy saving the world or whatever it is you do?

His reply arrives less than a minute later.

Nico:Saving the world is above my pay grade. I'm more in the business of making bad people have very bad days.

Me:That's a surprisingly polite way of saying you kill people.