The metallic click of the crossbow echoed over the distant sirens of the city. The fog rolling across the high balcony felt like ice against my bare back.
The man holding the weapon wore a tactical suit designed to absorb the ambient light. He looked like a shadow detached from the wall. The heavy bolt loaded into his weapon glowed with a sickly, toxic green magic. It was a poison designed to rot a monster from the inside out.
"Step away from the girl, Silas," the assassin repeated. His voice was muffled by a dark fabric mask.
I recognized the rough cadence of his voice immediately. He was the operative who stood behind my shadow client in the dark alley two days ago. He was the muscle. He was not here to kill Silas. He was here to check on my progress. He was using the threat of violence to force an interaction.
Silas did not step away. He did the exact opposite.
The Beast shifted his weight, moving his massive frame to shield my body. His broad shoulders blocked my view of the glowing green weapon. The possessive instinct was immediate and terrifying. Silas did not flinch. He did not raise his hands in surrender. He stood with the relaxed, lethal posture of a predator annoyed by a pesky insect.
"You brought a toy to a slaughter," Silas murmured. His voice was a dark vibration that rattled the glass doors behind us.
"This toy is dipped in Chimera venom," the operative sneered. "It will turn your blood to acid before you hit the ground. Step away from her."
"Shoot me," Silas challenged softly.
The operative hesitated. That single second of doubt was all the Beast needed.
Silas moved faster than my human eyes could process. He did not lunge forward. He dissolved. The shadows cast by the balcony lights violently stretched and warped, swallowing Silas whole.
The operative gasped and fired the crossbow in panic. The green bolt tore through the empty space where Silas had been standing just a fraction of a second prior. The toxic magic hissed as it struck the stone wall behind me, melting the heavy marble like hot wax.
A suffocating wave of dark magic crashed onto the balcony. The temperature plummeted. Frost formed on the iron railing.
Silas materialized directly behind the operative.
The Beast reached out and gripped the back of the man's neck with one large, gloved hand. The operative screamed, dropping the heavy crossbow. The sound of crushing bone echoed in the cold air. Silas lifted the struggling assassin off the ground with terrifying ease.
"Wait," I shouted, my voice cracking with panic.
If Silas killed him, my shadow client would assume I betrayed them. They would activate whatever fail safes they had waiting for me. I needed this man alive. I needed to know my deadline.
Silas paused. He turned his head slowly. His golden eyes burned with an unnatural, blinding light. The rage radiating from him was a physical weight pressing down on my chest. He looked at me, questioning my interruption.
In that brief moment of distraction, the operative acted.
He was wearing a suicide ward. A blinding flash of pure, concussive light magic erupted from the center of his tactical vest. The explosion of energy threw Silas backward. The Beast hit the stone railing with a heavy thud, his grip slipping from the operative's neck.
I covered my eyes, but the force of the blast knocked me to my knees. My ears rang violently.
Strong hands gripped my shoulders before I could recover.
The operative hauled me to my feet. He smelled of burnt ozone and panic. His mask was torn, revealing a jagged scar across his jaw. He shoved me against the glass door. His grip on my bare arms was brutal enough to leave dark bruises.
"You have three days, Sienna," the operative hissed directly into my ear. "Three days to secure the Primal Ledger. If you do not deliver the book by midnight on the third day, we will detonate the blood wards we placed on your heart. You will burn from the inside out."
My stomach dropped into a bottomless pit. A blood ward. They had poisoned me during our first meeting, and I never even noticed. The magical contract was a death sentence.
A guttural, monstrous roar shattered the ringing in my ears.
Silas lunged out of the dissipating smoke. He was a terrifying vision of pure violence. The shadows in the air twisted into sharp blades around his fists.
The operative released me instantly. He threw himself backward over the high stone railing.
I screamed, rushing forward. I looked down over the edge. The operative was not falling to his death. A thick cable of green magic shot from his wrist, attaching to a passing hover rail below. He swung away into the dense fog, vanishing into the neon glow of the city streets.
Silas slammed his fists against the stone railing. The marble cracked under the impact. He breathed heavily. The dark magic swirling around him slowly began to recede, drawing back into his skin like liquid smoke.
I stood frozen against the glass door. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Three days. I only had three days to find the most guarded secret in the monster underworld.
Silas turned around.
The violent rage in his golden eyes faded into a cold, terrifying calculation. He looked at the spot where the man had disappeared. Then he looked at me. His gaze dropped to my bare arms. The red marks from the operative's brutal grip were already forming into dark bruises against my pale skin.
He crossed the balcony in two slow, deliberate steps.
"Who was that?" Silas demanded. His voice was dangerously quiet.
I forced myself to stand up straight. I pushed the sheer terror down into the darkest corner of my mind. My brain was my only weapon right now. If I panicked, the Beast would tear me apart to find the truth.
"I do not know," I lied. I kept my voice perfectly steady. I maintained eye contact. "He grabbed me when the light exploded. He was trying to take me hostage to ensure his escape."
Silas reached out. He gently traced the bruising on my arm with his thumb. The contrast between his lethal violence seconds ago and this delicate touch was mind bending. The heat of his skin sent a dangerous, confusing thrill straight to my chest.
"He called you by your first name," Silas murmured. "He said, 'Step away from the girl'. He did not shoot to kill. He shot to distract. And then he whispered something in your ear."
Silas leaned down. His face was inches from mine. The scent of winter air and fresh violence was intoxicating.
"What did he whisper to you, Sienna?"
I swallowed hard. The void of his existence stared back at me. I could not read his threads. I could not see his motives. I was flying blind in a hurricane.
"He said he was a hunter," I spun the lie quickly, anchoring it to a plausible reality. "He said he recognized me from the docks. He promised the human factions were coming for the Malphas Syndicate."
Silas stared at me for five agonizing seconds. He was searching for the micro expressions of deceit. He was waiting for my pulse to jump or my eyes to dart away. I held my ground. I visualized a wall of solid steel in my mind.
"A human hunter using Chimera Cartel venom and high level light magic," Silas noted dryly. The dark amusement returned to his voice, but it was edged with lethal warning. "You have a very active imagination."
He did not believe me.
Silas grabbed my hand. His grip was firm but not painful. He dragged me off the balcony and back into the sprawling, crowded gala. The music was still playing. The monsters were still drinking their copper laced champagne. No one had heard the brief, violent clash on the balcony over the thick glass and heavy wards.
"We are leaving," Silas announced to Leo, who was lounging near the bar.
Leo took one look at Silas's face and nodded sharply, abandoning his drink.
The ride back to the estate was suffocating. I sat in the back of the SUV next to Silas. The heavy rain started again, drumming a relentless rhythm against the roof. The silence in the vehicle was heavier than lead.
Silas did not look out the window. He looked at me. He watched the way I breathed. He watched the way my hands gripped the velvet fabric of my gown. He was dissecting my lie piece by piece.
When we finally reached the gothic mansion, I moved to head toward my suite in the east wing.
"No," Silas commanded.
I stopped at the base of the grand staircase. I looked back at him.
"You are sleeping in my quarters tonight," Silas stated. He walked past me, taking the stairs two at a time. "Follow me."
My breath hitched. His private quarters. The inner sanctum of the Beast.
I followed him down the long, shadowed corridor of the west wing. We bypassed his main office and approached a set of heavy, iron reinforced doors. Silas pressed his hand to the metal. The wards hummed, recognizing his bloodline, and the doors swung open.
His bedroom was massive and dark. A huge four poster bed dominated the center of the room. A sprawling stone fireplace cast dancing shadows across the high walls. The air smelled strongly of his bergamot cologne and the faint, lingering scent of old paper.
"Sit on the bed," Silas ordered.
He walked into an adjoining bathroom and returned a moment later carrying a small silver tin. I perched on the edge of the dark mattress, my velvet gown spilling around my legs.
Silas knelt on the floor in front of me. The position was jarring. The heir to the most powerful monster syndicate in the city was kneeling at my feet.
He opened the tin and scooped out a thick, glowing blue salve with his fingers. He reached for my bruised arm.
"This will sting," he warned softly.
He rubbed the magical salve into the dark bruises left by the operative. The pain was sharp for a brief second, followed by a soothing, icy numbness. I watched his face as he worked. His jaw was tight. His golden eyes were focused entirely on my skin. He was treating my injury with a fierce, possessive care.
"Why did you bring me in here?" I asked. My voice sounded small in the massive room.
"Because whoever attacked us tonight bypassed the Council guards," Silas replied, keeping his eyes on my arm. "They are dangerous. And you are my contractor. I protect what belongs to me."
He finished applying the salve and stood up. He walked over to a dark wooden dresser and pulled out a simple black silk shirt. He tossed it onto the bed next to me.
"Change out of that dress," Silas instructed, walking toward the door. "I have business to attend to. Do not leave this room."
He paused with his hand on the heavy iron handle. He turned to look at me one last time. The firelight caught the harsh angles of his face, making him look like a beautiful nightmare.
"The Chimera Cartel does not employ human hunters, Sienna," Silas whispered. The quiet threat in his voice sent a violent shiver down my spine. "Try another lie tomorrow."
The heavy door clicked shut, locking me inside.
I let out a shaky breath and stood up. I was locked in his private bedroom. The Beast knew I was hiding something. The clock was ticking down on my life. I had three days to find the Primal Ledger, and I was currently standing in the center of the only room I had not yet searched.
I looked at the massive stone fireplace. I looked at the dark wooden dressers. My gaze finally settled on a heavy, iron bound chest sitting at the foot of his bed.
The Primal Ledger was close. I could feel the thick, humming magic vibrating in the floorboards.
I had to move fast before he returned.
Author's Note
Sienna is playing a very dangerous game of chess with a Beast who sees right through her! What do you think about Silas putting her in his own bedroom to protect her? Is it a strategic move or is he getting attached? And most importantly, will she find the Primal Ledger inside that iron chest? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Please like and share if you loved this chapter! See you next time!
