Chapter : Shadows Don’t Stay Buried

The sky over New York bled red as our jet descended. Not from the sunset—but from something heavier. The weight of returning, of walking straight back into a storm we hadn’t finished clearing.

Lucien didn’t say a word the whole flight.

His jaw remained tight, his hands clenched in his lap. I knew that look—it wasn’t fear. It was betrayal. Not just because Felix had turned, but because Lucien had trusted him in the first place.

Caleb met us on the tarmac, flanked by two men I didn’t recognize—one carried a black duffel bag, the other a drone controller. I raised a brow.

“Security...