Page 48

T he mirror in the bathroom is streaked with condensation from Dayton’s shower, the glass fogging up as the hot water pours over him. My focus is on the sleek black dress I’m smoothing over my hips. The fabric clings to every curve, hugging my body in a way that feels both empowering and dangerous. The hem flutters just above my knees, revealing the crisscross pattern of my fishnets. It’s perfect for tonight—a night that feels more like the climax of some tragic opera than a New Year’s Eve party.

“Does it have to be a masked party?” I ask, glancing at Dayton through the fogged glass. His silhouette moves, every muscle in his back flexing as he washes off the day. God, he looks magnificent, even blurred and distorted by the shower door.

“Yeah,” he says. “We will just wear our neon masks like we did for Halloween.”

“Aren’t we original…” I mutter, adjusting the delicate straps of my dress.

“AGU has a thing for masks. I don’t know.” He shrugs, rinsing shampoo from his hair.

“Weird kink fetish if you ask me.”

“Just go with it, babygirl. You’ll look hot, and that’s all that matters.”

I roll my eyes, but my hands linger on the straps of my dress, adjusting them absently. It fits like a second skin, and despite everything, I feel hot as fuck. It’s a small comfort on a night like this.

A night where we finally get rid of the dark cloud over our lives.

We will reveal the killer, hand them over to the Syndicate, and wash our hands of all of this.

The boys told me yesterday.

I still can’t wrap my head around it. The killer is someone we know, someone who walked among us, blending in seamlessly. My stomach churns at the thought, nausea clawing its way up my throat. How did we miss it? The signs were there, hidden in plain sight, but we were too consumed by fear, by our own spiraling chaos.

“I’m going to meet you downstairs,” I say, forcing a lightness into my voice as I pop some lip gloss onto my lips.

Dayton turns off the shower, his hand wiping a streak of fog from the glass as he watches me. “Okay, babygirl. I’ll be down soon.”

I think about Kai—about the blood, the terror, the moment I saw the light leave his gorgeous onyx eyes. He’s stable now, but the image of him lying there, pale and fragile, is seared into my mind.

And then I think of the rest of the boys.

Silas, with his fierce protectiveness, his dark, brooding strength that feels like both a shield and a cage.

Levi, whose intensity burns like wildfire, consuming everything in its path, including me.

Dayton, the one who makes me laugh even when the world feels like it’s crumbling, yet hides his own cracks beneath a carefully crafted mask.

Each of them holds a piece of me. Each of them has been my anchor, pulling me back when I felt like drifting away.

But tonight?

Tonight, we ride as the Four Horsemen, bringing reckoning and ruin to Ashen Grove.

I pause at Kai’s door, grabbing the pair of strappy heels he’d teased me about leaving there. My throat tightens at the memory that fizzles to the surface, but I shake it off, slipping the heels on as I continue downstairs.

Levi’s door is ajar, music spilling into the hall. I catch a glimpse of him tugging at his tie, his shirt half-buttoned.

“Hey, I’m heading downstairs,” I say, pausing briefly at his door.

He nods without looking at me, his hands fumbling with the tie. “I won’t be long.”

“Is Silas still getting things prepared at the catacombs?” I ask, leaning slightly against the doorframe.

“Yes,” Levi says. His fingers finally get the knot just right, and he tightens it with a sharp tug. “And Dayton somehow convinced Omega Chi to help.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Wonder what that’ll cost us down the line.”

Levi exhales, his lips pressing into a tight line. “We’ll deal with it when we have to.”

I nod, leaving him to finish getting ready as I make my way downstairs. The kitchen is quiet, the soft hum of the fridge the only sound as I grab a glass of water.

I set my phone down on the counter and take a steadying breath.

Everything will be okay.

You will not falter.

You will not fade away.

You need to stay here, Sable.

Tonight is not the night to slip away.

They need you.

Kai needs you.

I push the overwhelming thoughts out of my head and focus on their needs. We have a plan—it’s already in fruition. We just have to execute it.

Perfectly.

I grab the pink mask that Silas left out for me on the counter and adjust it over my face, then pull it upso my face is still visible. It’s the same neon stitched one that I wore the night Levi was arrested.

My gaze drifts to the wine rack, and I remember the beer we stashed in the basement for tonight.

The boys are definitely going to forget about it, I think, with a wry smile.

I head toward the basement door, flipping on the light as I open it. The bulb flickers for a second before holding steady.

The cellar smells faintly of earth and aged wood. Rows of shelves line the walls, cluttered with forgotten junk, old boxes, and crates of supplies the guys claimed they’d organized months ago. I walk over to the back wall where the beer is stored, tucked neatly under an old blanket. Only saving the cheap beer like this for parties.

“Gotcha,” I mutter, lifting the case with both hands and I shift it against my hip for balance.

But then, something feels... off.

A sudden click echoes through the quiet cellar, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I freeze, my heart jumping into my throat. I set the beer case down, every muscle in my body on high alert.

I walk toward the staircase, and my stomach drops.

The door at the top of the stairs is closed.

“Very funny, guys,” I call out, my voice echoing off the brick walls. I wait, expecting to hear Dayton or Levi laughing, but there’s only silence.

“Hello?” I call again. My pulse starts to race as I climb the steps two at a time, jiggling the handle. It doesn’t budge. Panic begins to creep in, but I force myself to stay calm.

They’re just messing with me.

They have to be.

“Dayton?” I pound on the door. “Levi? This isn’t funny!”

The silence stretches, pressing down on me like a weight. I pound harder, my knuckles stinging against the solid wood. “Come on, open the damn door!”

Nothing.

I press my ear to the door, straining to hear anything from the other side, but there’s only the muffled hum of the house above. My stomach twists. My phone—I left it on the kitchen counter.

The realization sends a cold wave through me. Shit.

I step back from the door, my breathing shallow as my mind races. This isn’t them. They wouldn’t leave me down here like this.

My eyes dart around, searching for anything that could help—something heavy to break the door, a tool to jimmy the lock—but all I find are dusty boxes and forgotten clutter.

Stay calm, Sable. Think. I pace the length of the cellar, my hands trembling as I run them through my hair. My eyes land on a section of the back wall, where the bricks seem uneven, older than the rest. Silas once mentioned something about tunnels beneath the university. He’d joked about how they could use them for escape routes in case things ever got bad.

I swallow hard, my throat dry.

Could there really be a tunnel down here?

With renewed purpose, I grab one of the crates and drag it over, climbing up to inspect the wall more closely. My fingers press against the bricks, testing for any give. For a moment, it feels hopeless—solid brick.

But then, one shifts.

My heart leaps as I press harder, feeling the brick slide inward with a soft grind. The sound of stone scraping against stone fills the cellar as part of the wall gives way, revealing a dark, narrow passageway beyond.

I hesitate, the weight of the unknown pressing down on me. Do I wait here for the guys? Or do I take my chances in the dark?

Another glance at the locked door answers my question.