Page 155 of The Hunter's Empire

With unsteady fingers, I answer the call and switch on the speaker.

"Zora?" Nico's voice is immediate. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fi…"

Sebastian snatches the phone from my hand.

"She's with me."

"Put her back on."

"No." His answer is immediate. "She doesn't need another conversation with the man she decided was worth throwing away my reputation for."

"Sebastian…"

"I said no." His voice hardens. "You've caused enough damage for one night."

Another silence stretches between them. Then Nico speaks again. "Let me hear her."

A cold smile appears on Sebastian's face. "You don't get to make demands anymore."

His grip tightens around the phone. "You wanted another man's used whore?" A bitter laugh escapes him. "Congratulations! She's all yours."

Sebastian lowers the phone just enough for his thumb to hover over the screen.

"One last piece of advice." He says. "Stop pretending you're her hero. You're just the man she spread her legs for."

He ends the call before I can react and drops the phone onto the dashboard. And for the first time since leaving the estate, I see genuine rage replace the calm in his eyes.

After that, neither of us speaks again.

The minutes stretch into half an hour as Sebastian drives far faster than he should, the engine growling beneath us while the city slowly gives way to darker, emptier roads. Every time I ask him to slow down, he ignores me, his hands tightening around the steering wheel instead.

Then, somewhere behind us, another engine cuts through the silence.

A motorcycle rapidly closes the distance before pulling alongside us. The rider is dressed entirely in black, a full-face helmet concealing every identifiable feature. My heart skips.It couldn't be.

Yet the longer I watch him, the more certain I become. There is something unmistakably familiar about the way he handles the motorcycle. Effortless, controlled, every movement precise enough to look almost instinctive.

I know it's him before I can explain how.

Sebastian notices the rider a heartbeat later. "What the hell is he doing?"

The motorcycle surges ahead, cutting in front of us before easing off the throttle. Sebastian instinctively tries to overtake, but he anticipates every move, drifting smoothly across the lane and blocking each attempt with calculated precision. Every maneuver forces the car to bleed more speed until Sebastian has nowhere left to go.

He leans the motorcycle sharply across our path. The tires shriek against the asphalt. The car fishtails before Sebastian slams on the brakes. Everything inside lurches forward as the seatbelt bites into my shoulder. After what feels like an eternity, the car shudders to a stop in the middle of the empty road.

The motorcycle rolls to a controlled halt several feet ahead. The rider switches off the engine, removes his helmet, and dark hair falls free.

I was right. Nico.

Relief crashes through me with enough force to leave me momentarily breathless.

Sebastian is already climbing out of the car, and by the time I catch up, he and Nico are standing inches apart before, without a single word, Nico grabs him by the front of his suit and slams him back against the side of the car with enough force to make the impact echo through the empty road.

Sebastian immediately grabs Nico's wrist. "Let go."

Nico doesn't move. The silence between them is suffocating.