Chapter 34
Riven made the decision almost immediately.
The moment the second figure scaled the wall and vanished into the shadows of the estate perimeter, he slid down from the roof of the gardening shed with practiced ease, boots crunching softly against the gravel.
There was no time to alert anyone else, and besides, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with more Virelliens.
He just needed to see. If someone was sneaking around the estate, it couldn’t be for anything good.
He moved carefully, deliberately, letting his instincts guide him.
The night air was cool, laced with the earthy scent of the gardens behind him, and every step through the grass was measured, soundless.
By the time he reached the spot near the wall where he’d seen them, they were already gone.
No footprints, no broken twigs—whoever they were, they knew what they were doing.
But so did he.
He turned toward the wall and stared up at its stone surface.
The faint marks of climbing were there, barely visible to the untrained eye—subtle scuffs against the aged surface, the faint indentations where hands or feet had found purchase.
Trusting his gut, Riven scaled it, fingers digging into grooves with precision.
Once over, he dropped to the other side and crouched low, his eyes adjusting to the lower light.
There was flash of movement in the shadows, a figure moving fast but quiet, threading through the trees lining the back perimeter.
Riven took off after them, silent as a wraith.
His heart pounded—not from fear, but from purpose.
He didn’t know what he was chasing, only that it mattered.
He slowed once he was close enough to avoid being heard and reached for his phone, snapping a photo quickly before ducking behind a tree.
He zoomed in, angling the screen to reduce glare—and there she was.
The woman from the Seam. The one who’d warned him that he wasn’t ready.
Her hair was tied back, her clothes dark and unremarkable, but there was no mistaking the angle of her jaw, the alert sharpness in her gaze. She was here, on Virellien grounds.
Which meant this was bigger than just him, bigger than just the drug.
By the time Riven returned to the estate, his legs were aching. He slipped back in through a side door and made his way toward Thane’s study. Light spilled out from beneath the closed doors, and the low murmur of voices told him the meeting was still ongoing. He didn’t interrupt. He waited.
Almost an hour passed before the door creaked open and people filed out.
Thane was the last to emerge, his suit jacket discarded, shirt sleeves rolled to his forearms. He looked tired—more than that, he looked drained.
But his eyes sharpened the moment he caught sight of Riven leaning against the opposite wall.
“What is it?” Thane asked, not with irritation, but with the clipped directness of a man used to problems walking up to him at all hours.
Riven pushed off the wall. “I saw someone. Two people, actually, right near the perimeter wall. One of them climbed up from the outside. They were trying not to be seen.”
Thane’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t speak, letting Riven continue.
“I followed one,” Riven said. “Got a picture. It’s the woman from the Seam—the one I met when I was investigating Soulglass. The one who didn’t think I was ready. She was here, on Virellien property.”
He handed Thane the phone, the screen still open on the zoomed-in image. Thane took it, studied it for a moment, jaw tightening.
“If she’s here,” Riven pressed, “it means one of two things. Either someone inside the estate is working with the Soulglass operation, or someone’s feeding them information. There’s no way she got this close by accident.”
Thane handed the phone back, but his expression didn’t change. “And what do you propose?”
“I go back,” Riven said, “to the Seam. Try to find her again. Reconnect. She already spoke to me once, maybe she’ll do it again. If I can get close to her, maybe I can figure out who she’s working with, what their next move is.”
“No.”
The word was cold and immediate. It dropped like a hammer between them.
Riven blinked. “What?”
“I said no,” Thane repeated, voice low and firm. “You are not going back to the Seam.”
“Why not?” Riven demanded, stepping forward. “You brought me here for this exact reason. To get into places your people can’t. I’m telling you I can do that.”
“You think this is about capability?” Thane snapped, stepping closer, voice taut with restrained fury. “You think I’m doubting your usefulness?”
Riven opened his mouth, but Thane cut him off with a look so sharp it halted the words in his throat.
“I’m telling you no,” Thane said, every syllable deliberate, laced with a warning.
“Not because you can’t, but because you don’t fucking understand what you’re dealing with.
You walk back into that part of the city without layers of protection, without backup, and you don’t come out again.
You don’t know these people, and they sure as hell don’t care about the brand on your back. ”
Riven clenched his fists. “I can take care of myself.”
“I’m not going to have this conversation again,” Thane growled. “You’re not going. End of discussion.”
Then he turned, his long frame sweeping down the corridor, leaving Riven standing in the quiet hall, vibrating with frustration and the distinct, bitter taste of powerlessness.