Chapter 36
VANE
Iguide Lia through the front doors of the Blackwood estate, my hand possessively at the small of her back. The marble foyer gleams under crystal chandeliers—a far cry from the cramped apartment where I first claimed her in high school.
“This is...” Lia's voice trails off as she takes in the sweeping staircase and vaulted ceilings.
“A step up from our old place,” I finish for her, enjoying the wonder in her eyes. “Amazing what a trust fund can do once it's actually accessible.”
She turns to me. “It's beautiful.”
“You're beautiful,” I counter, pulling her against me for a brief kiss before leading her toward the dining room. “Xavier insisted on building this place the minute he turned twenty-one and could access our trust fund. Took two years to complete.”
As we enter the dining room, Xavier's voice cuts through the chatter. “Finally decided to grace us with your presence, brother?”
My older brother sits at the head of the mahogany table, Mira at his right. Landon and his prey, Sadie, occupy the other side, while Knox lounges with Bianca practically in his lap despite the formal setting.
“Fashionably late,” I reply with a smirk, pulling out Lia's chair.
Xavier's eyes narrow slightly. Even in a tailored suit, hosting a family dinner, his authority is unmistakable. “Lia, welcome to our home. I trust my brother has been treating you well since the Hunt?”
I feel Lia tense beside me. “Perfectly well, thank you.”
“Vane always did have a particular taste for you,” Xavier continues, raising his wine glass. “Though I must say, his persistence has paid off.”
Knox snorts. “That's putting it mildly.”
“Dinner is served,” Xavier announces as staff bring in the first course—a delicate lobster bisque.
I watch Lia's eyes dart around the table, taking in the various dynamics. Knox has his arm draped over Bianca's chair, fingers idly playing with her hair. At the same time, she pretends to be annoyed but leans into his touch anyway.
“So, Lia,” Knox says with that shit-eating grin of his, “exactly how many restraining orders did my brother violate to get you back to Ravenwood?”
I kick him under the table. “Fuck off.”
“Language at dinner, gentlemen,” X warns, but there's amusement in his eyes.
“I came back willingly,” Lia replies smoothly. “Eventually.”
Knox raises his glass. “To fifteen years of stalking paying off!”
I raise my glass, meeting Knox's smirk with one of my own. “At least I committed to my obsession. You couldn't even get Bianca to return your texts for three months.”
Bianca nearly chokes on her wine. “He wouldn't leave me alone.”
Knox presses a kiss to her temple. “I just needed the right hunting ground to make my move.”
“Speaking of commitment,” Landon says quietly, his eyes meeting mine across the table, “I heard you broke protocol the night after the Hunt.”
I freeze, my fork halfway to my mouth. “And where did you hear that?”
“Security logs.” Landon's expression remains neutral, but there's a glint of amusement in his steel-blue eyes. “Someone disabled the cameras in Lia's building at 2:47 AM.”
“Fucking snitch,” I mutter.
Knox perks up immediately. “Wait, you actually broke the twenty-four-hour rule? You?”
“Mind your own business.”
“The man who's been lecturing us about the rules of the Hunt for years,” Knox continues, warming to his theme. “The one who made me sit through that two-hour presentation on them—”
“That was necessary after what you did with the fire extinguisher last year.”
“That was one time!”
Xavier clears his throat. “Can we have one family dinner without discussing fire extinguishers?”
“I still maintain that was innovative problem-solving,” Knox insists.
Mira leans forward, curiosity lighting her hazel eyes. “Fire extinguisher?”
“Don't ask,” I warn.
“Oh, I'm definitely asking,” Bianca says, grinning at Knox. “What did you do?”
Knox waves his hand dismissively. “It was nothing.”
“He flooded three rooms,” Landon supplies helpfully.
“Because someone,” Knox glares at me, “forgot to mention the sprinkler system was integrated with the fire suppression.”
“I didn't forget. I assumed you had basic common sense.”
Sadie adjusts her glasses, a small smile playing at her lips. “I'm fascinated by what series of events leads to needing a fire extinguisher during a Hunt in the first place.”
“Candle play gone wrong,” Knox admits. “But in my defense, the curtains were extremely flammable.”
“Most curtains are,” Lia points out, taking a sip of her wine.
Xavier pinches the bridge of his nose. “The insurance claim was a nightmare.”
“You should've seen X trying to explain that one to the adjuster,” I say, unable to suppress my grin at the memory. “What did you tell them again?”
“Electrical fire,” Xavier replies flatly. “Which is what I'll be telling them when I murder Knox and dispose of the body.”
Mira touches his arm. “You're not actually going to murder your brother.”
“The night is young,” Xavier deadpans.
“See, this is why I never volunteered for cleanup duty,” Landon says. “Too much paperwork.”
“You never volunteer for anything that requires human interaction,” Knox shoots back.
“Efficient delegation,” Landon corrects.
Sadie laughs. “That's one way to put it.”
“What about the chandelier incident?” I ask, warming to the subject. “That was three years ago, right?”
Landon's expression darkens. “We agreed never to speak of that.”
“Chandelier incident?” Bianca echoes.
“Absolutely not,” Landon says firmly.
“Oh, come on,” Knox wheedles. “It's been years.”
“No.”
“Someone,” I say, deliberately drawing out the word while looking at Landon, “thought it would be romantic to use the chandelier as an anchor point for suspension.”
Lia's eyes widen. “The one in the main hall?”
“The very same,” Xavier confirms. “Which is why we now have weight limits clearly posted on all fixtures.”
The conversation shifts as the main course arrives—perfectly seared steaks for everyone except Bianca, who's gone for the salmon.
“I have to say,” Lia comments, cutting into her steak, “this is not how I imagined my first Blackwood family dinner would go.”
“What were you expecting?” Knox asks. “Human sacrifice? Blood oaths?”
“That's Tuesdays,” Xavier quips, earning a light smack on the arm from Mira.
I slip my hand onto Lia's thigh under the table. “The night's still young.”
Landon refills his wine glass. “Speaking of nights, the security updates for the warehouse are complete. No blind spots remain after the last… incident.”
Xavier nods. “Good. With the Orlov situation heating up, we need everything airtight.”
The atmosphere shifts subtly. Bianca's fork freezes halfway to her mouth, her posture suddenly rigid. Knox's playful demeanor vanishes as his arm tightens protectively around her shoulders.
“Not at dinner,” Knox says, his voice low and dangerous.
I glance at Bianca's pale face, remembering how Knox had wanted to tear through Ravenwood looking for her after she disappeared. Knox hadn't been the same since.
“Of course,” Xavier concedes. “My apologies, Bianca.”
She forces a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. “It's fine.”
Mira smoothly changes the subject. “The dessert is incredible. Lia, you have to try the chocolate soufflé.”
As conversation resumes, I notice Knox whispering something in Bianca's ear that makes her relax against him. Whatever happened during those three days she was missing, it left marks deeper than the fading bruises on her wrists.
Lia catches my eye, a question in her gaze. I shake my head slightly—not now.
“More wine?” I offer instead, reaching for the bottle.
The conversation flows more easily as we make our way through dessert. Lia relaxes beside me, even laughing at one of Knox's ridiculous stories about a client who tried to pay his tab at Purgatory with rare comic books.
“They weren't even mint condition,” Knox complains, gesturing with his fork. “Like I'm going to accept water-damaged X-Men for a five-figure bar tab.”
“You should've seen the look on the guy's face when Knox returned them in worse condition,” I add, earning an approving smirk from my youngest brother.
As the staff clears the dessert plates, Mira catches Xavier's eye in that subtle way they communicate without words. She smiles and turns to the other women.
“Ladies, why don't we move to the living room for cocktails? I make a mean espresso martini.”
Sadie perks up immediately. “That sounds perfect.”
Lia glances at me, hesitating. I give her thigh a reassuring squeeze under the table before releasing her.
“Go ahead,” I murmur. “I'll join you soon.”
She rises, following Mira, who's already leading the procession out. Bianca extracts herself from Knox's possessive grip with obvious reluctance. When the door closes behind them, the atmosphere in the room shifts immediately.
Xavier doesn't waste a second. “Ilya Orlov is becoming a problem.”
“I told you we should've handled this more aggressively from the start,” I say, leaning forward.
“What's the latest?” Landon asks, his expression calculating.
“After what he did to Bianca?” Knox's playful demeanor has completely vanished, replaced by something cold and lethal. “We should've put him in the ground the moment we got her back.”
Xavier drums his fingers on the table. “It wasn't that simple. Orlov has connections that run deep. An outright move would've brought heat on all our operations.”
“So we've been fighting this territorial war instead,” I say, refilling my glass. “How many shipments has he intercepted now?”
“Three,” Landon replies. “And he's been systematically approaching our distributors, offering better rates.”
Knox's knuckles whiten around his glass. “Every day he breathes is a fucking insult after what he did to her.”
I've never seen my youngest brother like this—the Joker replaced by something dangerous and barely contained. The bruises on Bianca's wrists might be fading, but the ones on Knox's soul are still raw.
“We have a plan,” Xavier says, voice low and authoritative. “The Ravenwood Children's Foundation Gala is next Saturday. Orlov confirmed his attendance yesterday.”
“A public event?” I raise an eyebrow. “Bold move.”
Landon leans forward. “We've arranged to have complete control of security. Every entrance, exit, and service corridor will be covered by our people.”
“And Tyson's carnival crew will handle the extraction,” Xavier adds. “They'll be working the event as caterers—perfect cover for getting Orlov out without raising alarms.”
“Tyson agreed to this?” I'm surprised. The carnival mostly keeps to itself, despite our business arrangements.
“After what Orlov tried to do? He's eager to help.” Xavier's expression is calculating. “Colt and Nash will lead the team. They're... particularly motivated after Orlov's men roughed up one of their performers.”
Knox's eyes gleam with dark anticipation. “So we finally get to take this bastard off the board.”
“Once we have him secured,” Xavier continues, “we'll negotiate from a position of strength.”
“Negotiate?” Knox scoffs. “After what he did to Bianca—”
“We need his connections,” Xavier cuts in. “Kill him, and we lose access to his supply chain.”
I lean back in my chair, watching my brothers discuss Orlov's fate like we're deciding on a fucking wine pairing.
Fifteen years ago, we were scraping by in that shithole apartment, and now we're plotting international drug negotiations over dessert plates that cost more than our monthly rent back then.
The way Lia looked around this house tonight—eyes wide, taking in every detail—reminded me how far we've come. From that angry kid with nothing to his name and a girl he couldn't keep, to this. Power. Money. Respect. And finally, Lia is back where she belongs.