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Keep them secret. Keep us private. Because you know, don’t you? This isn’t just some stalker in the shadows.

This is personal.

Max rambles on about helping Hydessa, chasing ghosts, digital breadcrumbs—whatever. I tune him out. Hydessa isn’t my concern. She’s not like Seanna. She hides from the shadows, like they aren’t a part of her soul.

Seanna? She knows better.

She tells Max she’ll check in when she can—if Cruz buys her cover. Spoiler alert, sweetheart: he won’t. Not fully. Not the way she wants, and that’s an even greater risk. Going after Reyes is a suicide mission, and we aren’t going to let her continue on that path of destruction. If she doesn't stop, we'll be forced to intervene. She won't like it, but she'll understand eventually.

She leaves Max’s office and heads down the hall. I follow her every step, eyes tracking her from screen to screen. She dips into the wardrobe room, selects her armor—something sleek, dark, dangerous. It’ll make her look like temptation and wrath had a baby.

Perfect.

But she doesn’t leave right away. She pauses near the training room, drawn by familiar laughter and the clash of combat. Bodhi and Jaxon spar aggressively, while Kayla sits nearby, offering sarcastic commentary that has the guys laughing even as they try to land hits. Seanna leans against the doorway, arms folded, observing with quiet amusement.

Thorn catches sight of her and grins, deliberately flexing and raising an eyebrow. "Come to see how it's done, Seanna?" he taunts playfully. Jaxon snorts, rolling his eyes as he tries to get the upper hand against Bodhi.

"Maybe she's scared she's lost her touch," Jaxon teases, barely dodging a punch from Bodhi. Seanna smiles faintly, clearly unimpressed but entertained by their attempts to provoke her.

Kayla shoots Seanna a conspiratorial look, silently encouraging her to join in the humiliation of their overly confident teammates. But Seanna merely shakes her head, effortlessly throwing back a sarcastic remark about not needing to embarrass them any further tonight. Her words spark laughter from Kayla and groans from Thorn and Jaxon, both feigning wounded pride.

I’ve seen enough. They don't deserve her attention or her quick wit. She belongs to us.

I send her a message.

UNKNOWN

Stop flirting with men who will never understand your darkness. They’ll never deserve it the way we do.

She pulls her phone from her pocket and goes completely still. Her eyes immediately dart around, scanning for something out of place, something unseen. Good. You can feel me, can’t you?

She finds the camera easily, staring straight into it as though she can see me there.

Atta girl.

She types something back:

Tell me you’re a delusional little voyeur without telling me... Cameras now too? Jesus fucking christ. Stroke your obsession a little harder, why don’t you?

Her words drip with playful venom, designed to challenge and provoke. I chuckle deeply, appreciating her defiance.

Bodhi notices her shift in mood, questioning if she's alright. She dismisses his concern casually, quickly regaining her composure and walking away as they watch after her curiously.

Hopefully she’s starting to understand.

Nothing in her life will ever be the same.

Not now.

Not with me—us—in the picture.

She’s walking toward danger, convinced Reyes is the endgame.

But Reyes is a footnote.

We are the real reckoning.

And she’ll learn soon enough: