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I shift Matteo carefully, reaching for the box while keeping him secured against me. Inside, neatly labeled keys hang in orderly rows. I grab the set marked "Arctic Cat," tossing them to Oscar as a door slams somewhere above us.

“Hurry,” I urge, following him to the nearest snowmobile.

Oscar mounts the machine despite his injuries, inserting the key and bringing the engine to life with a throaty rumble. Matteo startles at the sound, his tiny face scrunching in preparation for a wail.

“I know, sweet boy,” I soothe, pressing his head gently against my chest where he can feel my heartbeat. “It's loud, but it's taking us home.”

The garage door begins to rise automatically as Oscar revs the engine. Cold air rushes in, carrying snowflakes that dance in the fluorescent light. I climb behind Oscar, one arm locked securely around Matteo while the other grips Oscar's waist.

“Hold tight,” he calls over his shoulder, and then we're moving, shooting out into the night like a bullet from a chamber.

The wind tears at my face as we accelerate across the snow-covered clearing, Matteo tucked securely inside my jacket. Behind us, shouts echo from the lodge. Snow sprays from beneath our treads as Oscar pushes the machine to its limits, weaving between trees with reckless precision.

“Z, we're clear,” I shout into my comm over the roar of the engine. “Southeast exit. Where are you?”

“Two clicks east of your position,” Z's strained voice crackles through the comm. “Heading toward extraction point alpha.”

The night air slices against my face as Oscar maneuvers the snowmobile through the dense forest. Matteo remains miraculously quiet against my chest, as if he understands the gravity of our escape. I press my lips to his forehead, tasting the sweetness of his skin beneath the wool cap Irina had tucked over his head.

"Luca and Alex?" I demand, squinting against the icy wind as we crest a small rise.

"Already at the rendezvous point. They torched the SUV. It should draw their attention away from us long enough to get out." Talon's steady voice confirms.

Relief floods through me, but I don't allow myself to relax. Not yet. Not until we're all safely away from this place.

The snowmobile's headlight cuts through the night, illuminating our path through the pristine snow. Trees flash past in a blur, branches occasionally whipping close enough to sting. Oscar's body tenses beneath my grip as he navigates a particularly steep descent.

"How's the little prince?" he calls over his shoulder.

“Fast asleep against me,” I breathe, wonder threading through my voice despite the chaos around us.

"Almost there," Oscar shouts over the engine's roar. The extraction point, a flat stretch of land just large enough for a helicopter landing, lies ahead, illuminated by portable lights.

My heart leaps at the sight of our team assembled and waiting. Luca stands beside Alex, a smile breaking across his face the moment he spots us. Talon kneels in the snow, checking his weapon while keeping a sharp eye on the perimeter. And there, leaning against a tree, shoulder freshly bandaged, is Z, his attention fixed on us.

The snowmobile slows and stops beside the idling helicopter, its rotors turning in slow, lazy circles, ready to roar to life at a moment’s notice. The pilot, one of my grandfather’s men who pledged loyalty to me after Victor’s death, nods once from behind the glass.

“You got him,” Luca breathes as I dismount, one arm still wrapped protectively around Matteo. He steps forward, voice trembling as he gently peels back the blanket to see the tiny face tucked inside. His breath catches. “He looks just like you.”

“Ready to meet your family?” I murmur to Matteo, shifting him carefully so Luca can get a better look. My son blinks up at his uncle, wide-eyed and curious, not afraid, only watching, taking everything in

VESPER

I hum softlyas I pace the moonlit corridor, Matteo's tiny body warm against my chest, his wispy hair tickling my chin. The Winter Palace feels different tonight—less like a prison and more like a sanctuary, though I know better than to trust such feelings.

“Is he finally asleep?” Alex's voice, quiet but unmistakable, comes from behind me.

I turn, careful not to disturb Matteo. Alex stands at the end of the hallway. The moonlight streaming through the tall windowsturns his platinum hair almost ethereal, like fresh snow under starlight.

“Just now.” I continue my slow pacing. “He fought it for two hours.”

Alex moves closer, his footsteps silent despite his size. Nothing about Alexander Rafner is accidental. "He has your stubbornness." Alex stops beside me, looking down at Matteo's sleeping face. There's something in his expression, something gentle that few people would believe possible from the son of the Butcher of Selfoss.

Becoming an instant mother hadn’t come with an instruction booklet. Every day was a scramble of figuring out how to soothe, how to feed, how to keep Matteo calm. Some moments I felt like I was barely holding it together. But Talon…Talon seemed to have a gift. Somehow, he could lull Matteo to sleep with ease, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Oz and Zaire on the other hand…are a work in progress.

“I prefer to call it determination.” I sway gently to maintain the rhythm that's finally lulled Matteo to sleep.

Alex’s lips twitch, almost forming a smile. “Determination, then.”