I step through the front door of the Draven Industries building in New York City wearing a tailored gray suit and a crisp white shirt, both of which cost a small fortune, courtesy of Cain Carter.

It turns out he lives a double life as an assassin and a multi-millionaire businessman. He and his wife, Archer, are currently visiting Hunter and Slade.

The morning sun shines brightly behind me, giving me a brief advantage as I stand in the glare, allowing me to take note of the security guards patrolling the reception area inside the building.

Only three of the guards are in uniform, while the other three are in plain clothes, wearing suits, and pretending to lounge like clients on the chairs scattered around the space.

The plainclothes guards are shifters—a wolf, a bear, and a jaguar, judging by the auras around them.

They will be hired muscle. But if the assassins have taught me anything, it’s that even hired muscle has to pay for food and a roof over their head.

I can’t assume these men are here because they love whatever brutality they’re asked to dish out, only that they’re bound to be good at it, or they wouldn’t still have a job.

There are no patrons in the foyer right now. I deliberately timed my entrance for a quiet moment.

The woman behind the front desk gives me a bright smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

Hmm. She’s one of those.

“I’m here to see Oliver Draven,” I say, speaking clearly enough for all of the guards to hear me while I look the woman square in her eyes.

Her gaze flicks to the screen in front of her, and a slight crease forms on her forehead. “Do you have an appointment?”

I give her a smile—a real one since I can’t assume she hates me, just her job. Hell, I don’t blame her. Working for my stepfather can’t be pleasant.

“Tell Oliver that Striker Draven is here to see him,” I reply calmly.

“Striker…” Her eyes widen, and her voice fades into a choked whisper. She takes panicked glances at the guards. “But you’re?—”

“Incarcerated? Clearly not.” I lean forward and give her another calm smile, although this time, I allow a little of my beast’s fury into my voice. “If you value your job, you should be quick about it.”

Within seconds of her speaking into her headset, the three security guards rush to block the walkway to the elevators, drawing their guns and aiming them at me.

The three plainclothes guys close in behind me, forming an arc at my back.

I didn’t expect them to make it easy for me. The old me would have splattered them with their own blood already. Hell, my beast wants me to.

But I’m in control of my fury now.

I know my worth, and with that certainty comes peace. With peace comes strength.

I won’t squander my strength on human men and shifters who don’t have to be my enemies.

Slowly raising my hands to show them I don’t carry a weapon, I step back from the desk.

Of course, I don’t need a gun to do a lot of damage, and given my reputation, they should all fear me.

The supernaturals will have been told that I’m an Unknown capable of extreme destruction, and the humans will believe I’m some sort of psychopath.

I’m certain my demon stepfather will have used his power of suggestion to its fullest extent to ensure the humans overlook anything supernatural and believe whatever he tells them without question.

“Striker Draven,” the wolf shifter growls. “Your stepfather won’t welcome your presence here.”

Keeping my senses peeled, I turn to him, even though my back is now to the guards with guns.

I hope I don’t regret it, but the wolf shifter’s choice of words isn’t exactly what I was expecting.

I expected him to threaten me with bodily harm or tell me I was not welcome, full stop.

I didn’t expect him to specify that it's my stepfather who won’t want me here.

“I’m fully aware of how my stepfather will feel,” I say, meeting the guy’s eyes.

He’s dressed in a cheap, ill-fitting suit, and his dark hair is scruffy. He’s shorter than the other two but broader in the shoulders. Height has nothing to do with strength, so I don’t underestimate him.

“I’m afraid I won’t be leaving until I speak with Oliver,” I continue. “I’m happy for you to escort me up to see him. At gunpoint, if it makes you more comfortable.”

The wolf shifter eyes me warily, but the other two—the bear and jaguar—both smirk.

“How about in a body bag?” the bear asks, cracking his knuckles and stretching his neck.

Now that’s the threat I was expecting.

The jaguar snickers, his pupils and the shape of his eyes becoming feline. His nose wrinkles as he snarls. “After we break every bone in your body and beat you to a pulp.”

Okay, so these two love their jobs.

The wolf, on the other hand, continues to study me carefully, eyes narrowed, posture wary.

I read a certain level of respect in his body language.

He must recognize that I won’t go down easily, an attitude that’s proven when he takes a quick step back instead of joining the fight when the bear lunges at me.

The bear’s fist swings at my face, but I see it coming a mile away. It’s only when my opponent is invisible that I can be defeated, and even then, only of my own choice.

I duck down and dart to the left, leaving the bear to stumble into the side of the reception desk.

I thump the jaguar in the stomach on my way past him, forcing him to bend. Spinning, I ram my elbow down onto his spine. I could break his back, but I restrain myself.

Meanwhile, the bear comes right back at me, but I use the falling jaguar’s body as leverage, leaping upward and gaining speed, achieving exactly the trajectory I need so that the bear plows his own face into my fist.

Smack!

Again, I could have broken bones, both cheek and jaw, but I limited the force behind the punch, content with knocking the bear out.

He drops, unconscious, to the floor next to the groaning jaguar, whose spine is clearly spasming.

Despite the fact that I avoided breaking bones, the sound of my fist cracking across the bear’s face must have alarmed the receptionist enough that she quickly ducked beneath her desk. No doubt, there’s some kind of panic button beneath it.

Ignoring her and the human guards, who have all paled at how quickly I subdued the bear and jaguar, I turn to the wolf. “Which floor is Oliver on?”

He remains at a distance as he tips his chin at me before replying. “Top floor. I’ll take you there.”

I don’t wait for him to move, heading toward the human guards at a brisk pace, speaking as I near them. “Like I said, feel free to escort me at gunpoint.”

They’re smart enough not to engage me, instead backing into position so they can surround me.

One of them leans toward the wolf. “What the fuck, Seb? You’re just letting him go on up?”

The wolf glares the man down. “You know how fucking angry Oliver gets if we deprive him of the joy of bloodshed. You want to be the one to tell him that we denied him the chance to witness his stepson’s death?”

The guard rapidly shakes his head.

“One of you with me. The other two stay here,” the wolf named Seb says, at which the three human men quickly organize themselves, one of them breaking off to select the up button on the elevator controls.

To the other two human guards, Seb says, “Lock the building down and make sure nobody else comes in. While you’re at it, make sure Pru is okay.”

When the elevator doors open, I follow the human man inside. He positions himself at my back with his gun aimed firmly at me. Seb steps in after me, but he keeps to my left, his back to the elevator wall and me in his sight.

The doors close, and the elevator rises in a tense silence.

I break it, asking, “Pru is the receptionist?”

Seb gives me a short nod. “Prudence. Normally, she has nerves of steel, but she’s heard all sorts of horrifying stories about you.”

I exhale slowly, counting my breaths. I don’t hide from the truth anymore. Accountability is the foundation of honor. “Some of those stories might be true.”

Seb’s eyebrows rise, his doubtful expression surprising me.

He tips his head, purses his lips, and studies me for a brief moment before he says, “No. I don’t think so.”

I side-eye him while remaining aware of the guard at my back. “What makes you think so?”

“Well, for one, your stepsister clearly loves you.” Seb suddenly grins. “And two, the lack of blood splatter back there.”

The way his tone changes when he speaks of my sister tells me he respects her.

It’s his second statement that makes me tense for a moment.

I breathe through it. “I’ve seen enough blood to last me a thousand lifetimes.”

Soon, I’ll see more.

Within moments, I’ll come face to face with my stepfather, the demon who sent me to Bloodwing to face years of torment. All so he could seize control of my company and use it to hurt others.

Restraint will no longer be on the table.