Chapter Forty-Three
Lia
Kylo and I eat breakfast in the lounge kitchenette. We’re halfway through our eggs when Carter and Elijah barge into the room in the middle of a heated argument.
“We need a few days to regroup, gather our strength, and plan a proper attack.” Carter drags a hand over his mouth, frustration etched into every line of his face.
“I disagree,” Elijah counters, his tone like granite. “This is our window. He’s still scrambling to form a counterattack. Joaquin’s death has left them exposed. We need to keep the momentum.”
“We didn’t anticipate certain other events,” Carter says, his eyes flicking briefly to me before returning to Elijah. “We need time.”
“Lia saw him at a beach, Carter. A beach. What do you think he’s doing? Collecting seashells? He’s exposed. This is the perfect moment to strike.”
What they don’t realize is that Draven is still unaware of our location. At least, for now.
“I have an idea.”
All three of them turn toward me at once. They’re waiting for some brilliant strategy I have absolutely not prepared, but the logic is already forming in my mind.
“Draven doesn’t know where we are.”
“That was the entire point of bringing everyone here,” Elijah says. “I fully intend to keep it that way.”
“Or…” I lean over the table. “We use that lack of knowledge to our advantage.”
Carter angles his body toward me, giving me his full attention. “Go on.”
“I’m the one he wants. So, what if I let him think he’s figured out where I am? We feed him false breadcrumbs and lure him close to the compound. Make it look like I’m alone and willing to go with him.”
Elijah shakes his head, his face lined with disapproval. “Revealing the whereabouts of this compound is out of the question.”
“You’re missing the point,” I tell him. “Last time, we were fighting on their turf. This time, he would be stepping onto ours. Think about it. I show him a spot a few miles out from here. It would be far enough to keep this place hidden but close enough for our warriors to strike when he shows his face.”
A long silence stretches through the kitchen.
Elijah rubs his beard. Carter taps a slow beat against his crossed arms, his eyes narrowed in deep thought.
Kylo breaks it. “Her plan is solid.”
I exhale slowly. At least he believes in me.
“Always, sweetheart,” Kylo murmurs directly into my mind. When my glare snaps to him, he has the audacity to wink, looking far too pleased with himself.
Elijah scowls. “It’s too dangerous. It jeopardizes the entire operation and everyone inside these walls.”
“Not necessarily,” Carter counters. “There are miles of empty land surrounding us. If we pick a spot farther north, they won’t know the compound is here.”
“If he believes she’s surrendering,” Kylo remarks, “he might not expect a full-scale ambush.”
“It’s a massive risk,” Elijah says. “Draven is no fool. He would expect a trap.”
“Inaction carries its own dangers,” I counter, refusing to let the idea die. “If we wait for him to find us, we lose the advantage of the terrain.”
“We still have time on our side,” Kylo adds.
“Good point,” Carter agrees. “Carmel is days away by road. That gives us additional time to prepare and set the stage.”
“I’ve never been one to rely on the element of surprise,” Elijah mutters under his breath. With a curt nod, he looks at Carter and Kylo. “If you think this will work, then fuck it. I’m in.”
“Her plan will work,” Kylo says.
Elijah turns his gaze to me. “Alright, Lia. Let us select a time and a place.”
“How much time do you need before everyone is prepped?” I ask.
“A day or two,” Carter answers before Elijah opens his mouth. “Elijah, go prep your soldiers. Lia, Kylo, and I will scout the area today and lock down a suitable battleground.”
“You better find a spot that doesn’t expose my front door,” Elijah warns.
“I was planning on slapping a neon sign on the roof,” Carter deadpans, then smirks at me. “Don’t mind him. Elijah’s been paranoid since the dawn of time.”
“It happens with old age,” Kylo adds.
Elijah flips them both off. “Fuck off, the lot of you.”
“How old is he?” I send the thought privately to Kylo. “You’re both acting like he’s prehistoric.”
“He’s thirty-four.”
“Thirty-four is not old,” Elijah snaps, answering the thought he clearly overheard between us.
“What did I miss?” Carter asks, glancing between the three of us.
Elijah rolls his eyes toward the ceiling. “Lia is wondering why you and Kylo are acting like I’m a relic from the Stone Age.”
Carter snorts with laughter, nearly choking on his coffee. “You’re turning thirty-five this year, aren’t you?”
Elijah shoves his shoulder. “Says the one turning thirty in a year. Remind me again why I keep you around?”
“You love me, asshole. That’s why,” Carter shoots back.
“Alright. Back to business.” Elijah’s face shifts instantly, all humor gone. “Has Draven tried poking around in your mind since your last run-in?”
“Not yet,” I answer.
“Keep it up,” Elijah says. “Once we locate the right place for the battle, you’re going to lead that snake right into our trap.”
Carter looks at me and then at Kylo. “After you finish eating, find me in the corridors so we can strategize.”
“I’ll gather our soldiers and make preparations,” Elijah adds, already heading for the door.
“How are we going to find a defensible location in this terrain?” I ask.
“We’ll bring Zayne with us. He knows the area well. He lived here for years before he came to our compound,” Carter says.
Kylo’s eyes gleam with dark amusement. “Alaska is an icy wasteland. We’ll find a spot where he can’t hide.”
“You two ready?” Carter asks from the doorway.
“Let’s get to work,” I declare.
Kylo wasn’t exaggerating.
This place is deserted.
Snow stretches endlessly in every direction, blanketing the earth in white. My breath forms mist before me.
Alaska is hauntingly beautiful.
The isolation feels sacred, almost otherworldly.
“Lia, remember to picture yourself here. Not at the compound,” Zayne says. “Make him believe this is where you are.”
Nodding, I roll my shoulders back. “I’m going to act like I have full control, but I’ll ‘accidentally’ let him see my location.”
Zayne gives a short nod of approval.
I drop the shackles around my mind, leaving it wide open for Draven. I summon the memory of Carmel Beach, with sunlight glittering off the waves and warm sand beneath my toes—something vivid enough for him to latch onto.
Please let this work.
A tug pulls me from the tundra, and just like that, I’m where I intended.
But not as I remember it.
The sky is duller, draped in overcast that casts a gray pall over the ocean.
The waves churn violently, surging in unnatural directions. The sand is darker than it should be. His dark energy is everywhere, thick in the air like smog.
The shoreline stretches out before me, but he hasn’t appeared yet.
“Don’t worry, sis. I’m here.”
His voice will always remind me of the night my mom died.
“Show yourself,” I say.
His hand clamps around my throat, fingers digging into my neck. “Why did you come here?”
There’s a savage gleam in his stare that I haven’t seen before, almost inhuman. “Answer me, or your last breath will be in my hands.”
I try to wrench him off. “I—can’t—”
He releases me, and I collapse to the sand, coughing and gasping for air.
“Don’t touch me again,” I say.
“And if I do?”
“I’ll come for you.”
He lets out a mocking laugh. “Don’t bother bluffing. We both know you have no idea where I am. But I know where you are.”
“No, you don’t. I’m blocking you.”
“Except you’re not.”
Good. He’s falling for the illusion.
“You’re lying,” I say, deliberately letting my voice shake to sell the act.
“You’re in Alaska. Don’t bother hiding or running—there’s no escaping me. I’m closer than you think.” He winks. “See you soon.”
Expelled from his mind, I crash into the snow.
“You okay?” Kylo kneels beside me, checking for injuries.
“It worked.”
He helps me to my feet. “How did it go?”
“As planned.”
I explain what Draven said to me.
“Did you see his exact location?” Carter asks.
“Carmel Beach. Same as before.”
“Draven’s an idiot,” Zayne mutters. “Hiding in the same place he drags you to in his mind?”
“We should thank him for that,” Carter says dryly.
Zayne’s comment sticks in my head. I replay my encounter with Draven.
Why would a man as calculating as my brother choose a location so obvious?
Why choose Carmel?
Unless he isn’t there at all.
“Something he said is bothering me.”
“What?” Kylo asks, his eyes searching mine.
“He said he’s closer than I think.”
“Hmm,” Carter says. “That could mean a lot of things. Let’s prepare for anything.”
“Marco turned on us,” Kylo says. “He probably gave up the location of Elijah’s compound.”
Zayne paces. “That son of a bitch.”
How did I fail the one task I was assigned?
“For all we know, Draven orchestrated this from the beginning,” Kylo says. “This isn’t on you.”
“Say he’s on his way or already here,” Zayne says, his entire body rigid with tension. “What’s the plan?”
“We alert Elijah and have everyone prepare for an immediate assault,” Carter replies, looking toward the horizon.
We start the trek back. With each step, the same darkness in Draven’s aura encroaches on me.
Kylo reaches for my hand and halts our progress the moment our fingers intertwine.
“What’s wrong?”
He scans the desolate landscape. “You sense Draven, don’t you?”
“How do you—”
“When we touch, it’s like we become one, Lia. I feel exactly what you feel.”
Ahead of us, Carter and Zayne continue walking, oblivious that we have stopped.
“Carter!” Kylo barks, the sound echoing across the empty tundra.
Carter spins around with a scowl on his face. “What are you two doing? Get moving.”
“He’s here,” Kylo says.
Carter whips around again, his irritation clear as he looks for a target that isn’t there. “Are you sure about this?”
“I wish I wasn’t,” I say.
The dark energy sticks to my skin.
“Carter, get out of here and bring backup,” Kylo commands. “Lia and I will hold him off.”
Carter opens his mouth to argue, but something in Kylo’s expression makes it clear this isn’t a debate.
He bolts for the truck with Zayne on his heels. The truck speeds off, kicking up icy dust behind it.
Kylo and I head the other way.
“Blair is with him. Her mind’s a mess. Her thoughts scattered all over the place,” Kylo says.
That means her guard is down.
An opening we can use.
Kylo’s hand tightens around mine. “Don’t leave my side.”
“Well, isn’t this touching?” Draven snickers.
Blair stands beside him, wild-eyed, her hair in disarray.
“How did you find us?” Kylo demands.
“Marco and Abel were very forthcoming once they joined me. Marco wasn’t particularly loyal to you after he got a glimpse inside Lia’s head. He thought handing the twins over would earn him a place with us. He ran straight to Joaquin with the news that the twins were still alive.”
“How did you get here so fast?” I ask. “You were at Carmel Beach.”
“Carmel Beach was bait. I didn’t need to guess your next move,” he continues. “Marco told me about Elijah’s overpriced fortress in the snow. After you fled our Seattle compound, I knew exactly where you’d run.”
“Here I am.” He gives a shallow, mocking bow, his hand sweeping out like he’s presenting himself onstage.
“Are you here to kill me?” I ask, stalling for Carter and the others.
“I’m here to offer you a deal.”
I laugh, incredulous. “What deal?”
“Join me, or I’ll carve your loved ones to pieces—slowly—while you watch, helpless to stop it.”
I stare at him, trying to trace the moment everything fractured.
Maybe there was never a single point in time. Maybe it began the day he was conceived, already under Joaquin’s supremacy.
Draven never stood a chance.
I search for something redeemable, some trace of goodness, but there’s nothing left. Only resentment.
A hollowed-out soul filled with hate.
And yet… I pity him.
For all his cruelty, he’s still a product of the bloody, unforgiving war Joaquin unleashed.
A casualty long before he ever became a threat.
“I don’t want to kill you.” I brace myself for his eventual attack. “But I will.”
“You couldn’t even save your own mother. What makes you think you have the spine to take me on?”
A slow smirk pulls at Kylo’s lips. “Ask Joaquin how he’s doing.”