Octavia
I open my eyes to sunlight, actual sunlight, something almost unheard of on Elaris Isle, lying warm against my face.
I groan and shift, the deep, delicious ache between my thighs reminding me that I was thoroughly fucked all night long.
Nothing unusual.
This is just us.
Us.
I reach for him, but the bed is empty.
My brow furrows. He never leaves. Since we came back from the Christmas holidays, he’s in my bed every night, and even when I make him go, he doesn’t leave.
I turn my head and spot a folded note on the nightstand. I pick it up, recognising his handwriting immediately.
My jaw tightens as I read.
Someone entered Elaris Isle who had no business being here. I can only hope his own men intercepted him, because if I discover Adriano contacted him instead of coming to me… again.
Fuck.
I’m furious.
First, because he didn’t wake me. He went alone. This is my concern. I should be the one extracting information.
I need it, especially now, when Adriano has stopped finding men for me to play Death with. But with the attacks escalating, we agreed it was wiser to lie low for the time being.
But if Adriano ignored my explicit orders and went to Markev instead of me, then he’s crossed a line. I care for the man like a brother, but he’s testing his limits.
He answers to me. Not the other way around.
And I will not allow anyone to think I’m weak. I won’t allow them to test my authority either, especially not in a world that still assumes power belongs to men, and that a woman who rules can be questioned, pushed… played with.
I’ll remind them. Every single one of them.
And if someone has to lose their head for crossing me, so be it.
If Markev thinks he holds more power than I do, then I’ve clearly been far too lenient. If he stands at my side, it is because I allow it.
And if, by some miracle, we ever manage to exist as anything beyond what we are now—which is unlikely—he needs to understand his place.
He needs to respect me.
I don’t need him fighting my battles.
I fight beside him, not behind him.
I drop the note onto the mattress, feeling irritation spread through my body.
He must have exhausted me thoroughly last night. I didn’t hear him leave, and I usually hear everything.
I never sleep deeply.
Ever.
Yet somehow, tangled up with that psycho and fucked senseless, I missed every sound.
I don’t know if he plans on coming back soon, but I have no intention of waiting to find out.
I move quickly and head straight for the bathroom. I run through my morning routine on autopilot, then layer a bit of makeup onto my face. I brush my hair back, smoothing it until it falls into loose waves.
I’m already moving towards the wardrobe, stepping into my clothes in record time. I pull on my UGGs, grab my phone, and unlock the screen as I walk.
Adriano’s location lights up immediately. He’s on Elaris Isle.
Maybe they are together.
I don’t have a tracker on the psycho, so Adriano is the only lead I have.
I hope to hell Markev called him, and not the other way around.
I shrug into a jacket. It’s mid-March, but the air on Elaris is still cold and damp.
Back in the living room, I pause to open a drawer and strap two blades to my body.
There’s no time for breakfast.
I’m out the door in seconds, card key, phone, and car keys already in hand.
The lift takes too long to arrive, so I take the stairs.
In my rush, I collide with someone near the exit. I look up to find Adelaide scowling at me.
“Watch where you’re going,” she snaps, her eyes narrowing.
I roll mine. “Someone’s in a good mood. As usual.”
I don’t wait for a reply. I’m already outside, crossing across the grounds towards the academy car park.
Students pass me with bags and books. I check the time, they’re heading to their first class of the day.
Once in the car park, I see the car he usually drives is gone.
I swear under my breath and climb into one of my own vehicles, the engine roaring to life as I pull out and follow the dot on my phone.
The route pulls me away from anything familiar, deeper into forested roads.
This isn’t one of our usual places.
I consider it for a moment, then push the unease aside. If this is one of Markev’s sites, how would I recognise it anyway?
I park near an abandoned structure, a massive, decaying building hidden by trees.
My eyes narrow. How do I not know about this place?
The dot on my phone places him inside.
I step out of the car and scan the area. The unease returns.
There are no other vehicles. Just birdsong, loud in the silence.
Adriano’s phone is inside, but his car isn’t here. Neither are our men.
And Markev’s vehicle is nowhere to be seen.
Maybe they really are apart.
Tyres screech behind me. I turn just as a car barrels straight at me.
A gunshot cracks through the air.
I dive, but not fast enough.
The car hits me full force. The impact sends me flying. The world explodes. I’m thrown clear for a split second before I smash into the ground and start rolling, over and over, pain detonating everywhere.
My wrist snaps with a sickening crack, my head slams into something hard, my vision turns white as my ribs scream and my skin burns.
I can’t stop rolling.
Noise erupts behind me, shouts and movement, but it’s distant. My vision blurs as darkness pulls me under.
Pain.
So much of it.
I want it to stop.
The last thing I think of, stupidly… inevitably, is him.
Those icy blue eyes.
And then everything goes black.