Page 10

Chapter seven

Annabella

W e ended up on the roof of a parking garage ten blocks from Gethin’s building, the city sprawling out around us in all directions. I leaned against the concrete barrier, adrenaline still singing through my veins.

“You know what the best part is?” Felix said.

“What?”

“Gethin’s going to spend weeks trying to figure out what the fuck that smell is. He’ll tear his apartment apart, call exterminators, and he sure as fuck won’t be taking anyone back there.”

The mental image of Gethin’s perfect apartment reeking like a swamp, of him ransacking the whole place trying to find the source, of the look on his face when he eventually found our little gift hit me, and I started to laugh.

Really laugh—full, genuine laughter that bubbled up from somewhere I’d almost forgotten existed.

Felix went very still beside me.

When I finally caught my breath, I found him staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. His green eyes seemed to glow in the reflected city lights, and something in his face made my pulse skip.

“What?” I demanded, suddenly self-conscious.

“Nothing. It’s just…” He shook his head. “You should laugh more often. It suits you.”

“I laugh.”

“No, you don’t. You’re serious all the time. I’ve never heard you laugh, not like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you mean it.”

I turned away from his scrutiny, focusing on the city spread out below us.

Kansas City at night should have been beautiful from up here—strings of lights marking the major streets, the glow of downtown towers creating artificial constellations against the darkness.

But even from this height, you could see the signs of trouble.

A faint orange glow flickered in the distance, where something was burning in the Eastside district.

Police sirens wailed through the night air, their sound carrying across the concrete and steel.

Down there, families were probably huddled in their homes, wondering if tonight would be the night that Ripper Packs broke down their doors.

Children like Ellie, too young to understand why the world had become so dangerous, why their parents looked scared all the time.

And where was the Council while communities burned? Safe in their towers, doing nothing.

“See that building there?” I pointed toward the gleaming towers of downtown. “The tall one with the blue light at the top?”

Felix followed my gaze. “Yeah.”

“Wolf Council regional offices. Twenty-third floor through twenty-eighth.” I rested my elbows on the concrete barrier, studying the distant building.

“I bet they have gold-plated toilets up there. Diamond-encrusted letter openers. Probably imported Italian marble for their conference tables and a champagne fountain in the break room while families down there are losing everything to ripple.”

“Probably,” Felix agreed, his voice carrying an edge. “Nothing but the best for the people making decisions about everyone else’s lives.”

I gestured toward the fires in the distance, the wail of sirens.

“The world is falling apart. We’re on the brink of war—humans and witches on one side, Shifters on the other.

Ripple is tearing apart every community we have left.

And what are they doing about it? Having committee meetings.

Debating policy while children disappear into addiction.

Pursue their ridiculous hunt against witches when witches could be helping them. ”

My hands clenched into fists on the concrete. “Someone has to do something before there’s nothing left to save.”

“Is that why you do this?” Felix asked quietly. “The memory wipes, the missions?”

“Someone has to.” The words came out harsh.

“Look around, Felix. No one else is stepping up. The Council is corrupt and incompetent. The Packs are too busy protecting their own territories to see the bigger picture. Meanwhile, innocent people—witches, Shifters, humans—are out there dying.” I looked out at the distant fires raging to the east of us.

“I feel like the world is in chaos, and no one is doing anything. No one else is going to change it, Felix. So why not me?”

“Fuck, Annabella. That’s a hell of a weight to carry on your shoulders. One person can’t change the world.”

I turned to face him. “No? Then I guess I’ll die trying. Coz I’m not going to roll over and let this shitshow continue.”

He stared at me for a moment, then ran a hand through his hair. “That’s either the most inspiring thing I’ve ever heard or the most terrifying.” A pause. “Probably both.”

“Sometimes I do wonder, though, what it’ll look like when we’re done.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “When the Council’s gone, and we can actually build something better.”

Felix shifted beside me, leaning closer. “Now that’s interesting. The revolutionary has a vision beyond the revolution.” His voice carried a note of genuine curiosity. “So, what does Annabella McGrath’s perfect world look like?”

I was quiet for a moment, trying to imagine a world where Ellie could be safe.

“Integration that actually works,” I said finally.

“Not the fake equality we have in the conclave cities, where everyone pretends to get along while humans get the good jobs and Shifters get the scraps. Real integration. Where witches aren’t banned from the north, where magic is used to help people instead of being treated like a weapon. ”

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, the vulnerability of sharing this making my voice smaller. “I want my sister to grow up in a world where being different doesn’t make you a target.”

Felix raised his eyebrows. “You have a sister?”

“Yeah. Ellie. She’s only four.” I couldn’t keep the protective edge out of my voice.

“But every day I don’t act is another day she gets closer to growing up in a world that can’t accept her.

I won’t let her go through what I did. The Pack where I grew up…

they hated me for my witch half. The Council had drilled it into them that all witches were abominations. ”

I got the sense Felix wanted to ask about it, but he let it drop and for that I was grateful. I didn’t want to relive that time in my life.

“Where is she? Your sister?”

I waved a hand vaguely. “With my mom. My mom’s sick, so my aunt and uncle look after them both. They’re safe, though. For now. I made sure of that.”

Felix rested his forearms on the barrier. “Well, your sister’s lucky to have you fighting for her. But you’ve got your perfect world, what then? What will you do when the revolution’s over?”

The question caught me off guard. I’d spent so many years focused on the fight that I’d barely thought about what I’d do after. “I… I don’t know. I’ve never really thought past making it safe for Ellie.”

Because I couldn’t afford to think past it. If I failed—if we all failed—there wouldn’t be a future worth planning for.

“Come on, hypothetically. The Council’s gone, the world is fair and equal, your sister is safe. What do you want for yourself?”

I stared out at the city lights, trying to imagine a version of myself that wasn’t defined by constant vigilance, constant fear for myself and the people I loved, and came up blank. “I honestly don’t know.”

I couldn’t see that version of myself. Couldn’t comprehend what she might look like, what she might want to do with her life when survival wasn’t the only priority. For some reason, a wave of sadness seeped over me.

I shook my head, pushing the sadness away. I didn’t have time for self-pity. “What about you? What does Felix Masters want when all this is over?”

Something flashed across his face, but it was gone so quickly I might have imagined it.

“I want what most people want. Someone to come home to at the end of the day. A Pack that’ll protect my mate and our pups.

” He smiled, but there was something wistful about it.

“A house with a big yard where they can Shift and run around and be safe and happy.”

The image he painted was so normal, so domestic, that it made my chest ache. I smiled, trying to chase away the feelings. “I really did not expect that answer from you.”

He tilted his head and grinned at me. “What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. Something more… dramatic? Like becoming a private investigator or running some kind of elite security firm.”

Again, something flashed across his face that I didn’t have time to decipher. “You did vault over an SUV the first time I met you, like some kind of action hero.”

I thought about what Felix had just described: a simple life with love and family at its center.

Something stirred inside me, a forgotten longing that I’d buried years ago.

Simon had always emphasized sacrifice. “Great change requires great sacrifice,” he’d say, his hand on my shoulder.

“Lesser souls seek comfort. You were made for something greater.”

I’d repeated those words to myself on countless nights, using them to smother any yearnings I’d had for connections.

“Sorry to disappoint. Turns out, underneath all my impressive acrobatics, I’m actually pretty boring.”

“Boring?” I raised an eyebrow. “No, just complicated. I mean, I never would have suspected the guy who just helped me break into someone’s apartment to plant stink bombs wants a white picket fence and two-point-five kids.”

“Hey, I never said anything about a white picket fence. It would have to be a black one. Or red. Something dramatic .”

“Oh, well, that changes everything. A red picket fence is totally badass.”

“Right?” His grin was infectious. “See? I can be edgy.”

I found myself smiling despite everything. “Oh yeah, you’re a real rebel with that domestic dream of yours.”

“Hey, I never claimed to be the dangerous one here. That would be the woman who just spent the evening executing the perfect revenge against a guy who was mean to her friend.”

“That was strategic thinking,” I protested. “I needed to make sure he wasn’t lurking around for the next few months, trying to grab Mira. And it was your idea.”

“That was you being petty and vindictive and enjoying every second of it.”

“I was not—” I stopped, seeing the knowing look on his face. “Okay, fine. Maybe I enjoyed it a little.”

“A little?” Felix leaned closer, his black T-shirt pulling tight across the defined muscles of his chest and shoulders. “Annabella, you were practically glowing with evil glee.”

I snapped my eyes away from his muscles. “I do not glow with evil glee.”

“You absolutely do. It’s terrifying. Also…” He paused, his voice dropping to a rough whisper that sent heat spiraling through me. “Fucking hot.”

My breath caught as warmth flooded my cheeks, my neck, spreading lower as his eyes darkened with unmistakable hunger. The teasing banter had vanished, replaced by something raw and electric that made my pulse race.

Felix stepped closer, close enough that his body heat wrapped around me like a caress. His gaze dropped to my lips as he murmured, “Annabella,” my name rolling off his tongue, smooth as silk.

The space between us sparked with tension so thick I could barely breathe.

Every instinct screamed at me to close the distance, to find out if his mouth would feel as good as it looked, to lose myself in the heat building between us.

His hand lifted slightly, fingers almost brushing my cheek, and I swayed toward him without thinking.

For one wild moment, I imagined what it would be like to surrender, to press my body against his, to feel those strong hands on my skin, to let him kiss away every lonely night and impossible burden I carried.

“We should get back,” I forced out, the words scraping my throat raw. I stumbled backward, putting space between us before I did something stupid. “The others will wonder where we went.”

Felix’s hand dropped, his jaw tightening with what looked like barely restrained need. “Right. Of course.”

We headed toward the fire escape, but the air still hummed with unfinished business.

My skin felt too tight, every nerve ending alive and aching.

I tried to focus on the mission, on Ellie, on anything but the way Felix moved behind me with lethal grace, or how his scent seemed to cling to my clothes now.

But my treacherous mind kept replaying the heat in his eyes, the way his voice had gone rough with want. The memory of almost being kissed by him sent liquid fire through my veins, pooling low in my belly with an intensity that made me bite back a whimper.

This was dangerous. More dangerous than any Council member or ripper. Felix made me want things I couldn’t have: lazy mornings tangled in sheets, strong arms to come home to, someone who looked at me like I was worth burning the world down for.

I had a mission. A purpose. Ellie was relying on me to create a better world for her, and the window for action was closing fast. I couldn’t let anything derail that.

I shook my head violently as I started down the ladder, trying to banish images of Felix’s hands mapping every inch of my skin, of losing myself in pleasure instead of purpose. That wasn’t my reality. That couldn’t ever be my reality.

The revolution came first. It had to.