Meanwhile,

Author

Chloe’s private study glowed with faint blue light, the system interface floating above her maps like a ghostly hologram.

Ten chairs waited in a semicircle before her desk, and one by one the men filed in:

Julian first, stiff and furious, his jaw set so tight the muscle feathered in his cheek; Elias quiet and watchful, his gaze drifting toward the window like he was thinking of something far away; Ezra sharp-eyed, scanning every corner of the room for traps; then Dennis, Aurel, Silas, Viktor, Leopard, Jax, and the tallest Eastern prince, his silver hair catching the light as he sat.

None sat until Chloe nodded.

She tapped...