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Cam pushed the eye on the keypad. A force immediately sent him flying backward. The bicycle flew over his head, and the giant collapsed to the ground with a loud thud seven yards away. Cam struggled up, embarrassed. “What the devil?” he cursed, red-faced.

“Interesting.” Lucienne regarded the giant. “I was shocked, too, but it didn’t shock me as much as it did you.” She pressed the eye symbol again.

The giant tensed, ready to leap to Lucienne’s rescue.

Again, only feeble current surged through her. Was her Siren’s mark protecting her? Lucienne massaged her shocked hand, then pulled out her encrypted Eidolon, dialing. It instantly connected .

“Ziyi,” she said, “I need you to crack the code on the keypad. Let me know when you’re done.” She clicked off the phone and went to the back of the Ghost House.

The giant trailed behind, darting his eyes here and there, searching for threats, as inconspicuously as possible. This was spy business.

An outdoor glass elevator gleamed, descending. Cam drew his handgun and leveled it toward the door of the elevator.

“Relax, Cam,” Lucienne said. “It’s Ashburn.”

The elevator stopped. Ashburn stepped out, throwing the hood off his head, his eyes flashing with anger and anxiety. “You can’t be here, Lucienne!”

“Queen Lucienne,” Cam corrected. “Or Your Majesty!”

“Shush,” Lucienne quieted the giant, eyes staying on Ashburn. Under the pale moonlight, his features looked ethereally beautiful. He gave her an once-over, too. Lucienne was dressed like an unmasked ninja.

“Look who’s talking,” Lucienne said. “Your law forbids you to go into the Ghost House. So, what are you doing here?”

Ashburn reached for her arm and dragged her away from the area. “It’s not safe for you to come here.”

“Get your hands off Queen Lucienne!” The giant lunged.

“Let me take care of this!” Lucienne snapped at the giant before he grabbed Ashburn.

She shoved off Ashburn, but found him surprisingly strong.

As she struggled, he wrapped one arm around her waist to pull her forward.

It was ravishing to be in his arms, to be touched by him, even though he was forcing her to leave.

She wondered if the pleasant feeling was the reason she didn’t use her martial arts on him or simply stomp on his toes.

“Ashburn, stop this nonsense!” she warned.

“You must leave now!”

“Why can’t I be here, but you can?”

“There’s a reason this place is called Ghost House.” Ashburn put more force into dragging her away. “It’s my playground, but not for anyone else. You don’t know what lurks inside.”

“Then why don’t we all go inside and take a look?” Lucienne resisted moving forward, so the two were at an impasse—Ashburn was incredibly strong, but Lucienne had the training. From the giant’s point of view, it looked like Ashburn was bear hugging her from behind.

“Not if you want to live,” Ashburn said in a chilly tone, instantly ending Lucienne’s delightful experience.

“Oh, yeah?” Arching her eyebrow in ridicule, she used her training to shove Ashburn back. Then, to her surprise, Ashburn moved his fingers along her waist and tickled her. No one, other than her old nanny Aida, knew that she was horribly ticklish.

Lucienne dropped all her defenses and giggled. Ashburn tickled her harder until she rolled on the ground, laughing and begging. “Stop. Stop it! Please, Ashburn!”

“Are you leaving? Promise you’re leaving.” Somehow, Ashburn had taken off one of Lucienne’s boots, and he tickled the sole of her foot. Her Eidolon vibrated in her belt, but Lucienne couldn’t get to it while laughing so hard and feeling as weak as a jellyfish.

Cam wheeled around them like a frantic referee in a boxing ring.

It’d be humiliating for Lucienne to command the giant to help her stop Ashburn since she had forbidden him to interfere earlier.

If Kian and Vladimir had been here, they would have thrown this insolent boy off her without a word.

“Fine.” She rolled into a ball, giggling like hell, yet very irritated.

“This is ridiculous, Ashburn!” she called between her giggles.

Ashburn let her go. “You’ve promised,” and began to put her boot on for her.

Sitting up, Lucienne snatched her boot and put it on herself. Her eyes stayed on alert; her cheeks flamed with exasperation.

He still crouched beside her, his eyes intent .

If he tried that again, Lucienne decided, she’d kick him really hard. “I gave you my word, and I’m leaving as promised, but I’ll come back. So, if you don’t want me to return, tell me what’s inside the building.”

“Something that can and will kill you, and nothing and no one can stop it.”

Lucienne peered into Ashburn’s eyes and chill sank into her veins. “What is that thing?”

“I can’t define it.”

“Why does it want to kill me?”

“Because you’re the Siren.”

“Many people have tried to erase me because of my title.”

“Then because of me.”

“You? Why you?”

“Because you’re a fatal threat to me.”

“I thought it was the opposite,” Lucienne said. “You got the powers, remember?”

Ashburn sighed. “We’re each other’s death trap.”

Lucienne admitted there was an unnatural magnetism between them, but it was far-fetched to regard it as a fatal attraction. She tilted her head in amusement and held Ashburn’s gaze, her warm chocolate eyes glinting under the white moonlight.

“The world comes alive in them,” he murmured, his pupils dilating. The rings around them lit like fire, which made Lucienne’s pulse quicken.

She had never seen him look at Violet this way. Ashburn leaned closer, his hand reaching for her face. Lucienne’s heart slammed against her rib cage. She lifted her chin, like a cat expecting a delicious pat. Then a clang blasted from the Ghost House.

Ashburn jerked back his hand as if burned. The silver light in his eyes darkened. “Stay away from here and away from me, and I’ll do the same, for both our sakes.” On alert, he looked over his shoulder, as if a formidable foe was approaching.

Lucienne followed his sight along the ground and spotted a shadow from the rooftop. She looked up, but didn’t see anything strange. When she looked back down, the shadow was gone.

“I don’t scare easily,” she said with a cold smile. “And I’m not one who gives up. Whoever wants to do me harm, let him come.”

Just then, the giant’s radio droned. He pushed the button, and Vladimir’s voice boomed from the radio. “I’m sorry to spoil your fun, Lucienne.” His voice was as bland as water.

Lucienne felt her heart stop. Crap! Vladimir had been watching the whole scene between her and Ashburn. Why did Ziyi even turn the lens on them? Lucienne stole a glance at her Eidolon. While she was giggling, she missed all three of Vladimir’s calls.

Lucienne cursed Ashburn in her head for not blocking the satellite. Did he intend for Vladimir to see them tangled together?

“I’m not having fun,” she answered. “And, Vlad, it isn’t what you thought—”

“It doesn’t matter what I think, but you need to come back to Sphinxes. Now!” Vladimir cut her off. “Aida was poisoned.”

The blood drained from Lucienne’s face. Who would want to poison her nanny? Her fists clenched. “Is she—” her voice choked. “Save her! Where’s Dr. Wren? Get the poison out of her system!”

“She’s in the castle’s emergency room. Her last meal was at the Red Mansion. She collapsed in the jet we sent for her. We believe the Sealers meant to send a message through her.”

Her enemies would hurt anyone she cared about to get to her. Tears streamed down Lucienne’s face. “I’m leaving for Sphinxes this minute,” she said. “What about her bodyguard?”

“Dead,” Vladimir said.

Lucienne turned to the giant. “Page McQuillen!”

“He already knows. Don’t take the helicopter to Sphinxes,” Vladimir said. “There’s a possible breach. I’m sending BL7 to pick you up.” He switched off his end of the radio, and he was gone from the other end .

“Lucienne.” Ashburn looked at her with concern.

Hot tears burning in her eyes, Lucienne looked away.

The air turned thick and oppressive, like her mood, like Ashburn’s. Dark clouds draped the moon, leaving only sparse starlight on Nirvana.

A few raindrops fell on Lucienne’s face. She wondered if this sudden rainstorm came from Ashburn’s mental power, but she wouldn’t turn her eyes to him when veiled by tears. Then she heard the deep bass purr of an approaching helicopter. Kian had sent it to take her back to Hell Gate.

The rain poured down in Nirvana and on Lucienne’s face as the helicopter landed in front of her.