Chapter 44
Cece
Luc grips my hand and quickly steers me toward the back of the room, away from the noise, away from the people, away from everything. I can’t see straight. My vision blurs, and bile claws its way up my throat. Pressure builds in my chest, and I begin heaving, like my lungs forgot how to work.
“Breathe, Cece,” he whispers. His voice calms me some, but not enough. “Tell me what happened. And leave nothing out. As best as you can remember.”
I nod, frantic, trying to force air into my lungs, trying to speak. He doesn’t let go of my hand; his thumb moves in slow circles over mine, settling me just enough.
“Who has Kate? Who called? Start from the beginning,” he urges again. His eyes are still. Grounding.
“That was Ethan,” I manage, gasping. “Kate’s . . . whatever the hell he is—or was.” Another shaky breath. “He panicked. He said some people forced him to set up a meeting with her . . . so they could take her. Ethan didn’t know who they were, and he didn’t know what was going to happen.”
My breathing stutters. I can’t stop shaking.
“He said they were frightening.” The words scrape out of my throat. “The message was—” I swallow hard, my chest tightening. “Tell Cece, if she wants to see Kate again, she’ll come to this address.”
The string lights behind Luc blur, bleeding into soft halos. Paper ghosts sway on the wall like they’re watching me fall apart. I barely register them, because the look on his face changes—confusion first, then something darker. Something dangerous.
“And he said he couldn’t tell anyone,” I rush on, fear clawing up my spine, “anyone but me.” My voice breaks completely.
“He mentioned he’d text the address.” Tears spill freely now, hot and unstoppable. “And that I have to go tonight.”
My knees threaten to buckle as the truth slams into me, brutal and final.
“If I don’t . . . she’s dead.”
The words collapse me inward. My hands shake as instinct takes over and I fumble to unlock my phone.
“I need to call the police,” I choke out. “Luc, I need to call the police.”
“No.”
The word cracks through the noise—firm, absolute, but not unkind. His hand closes over mine before I can unlock the screen, steady and warm, anchoring me when everything else feels like it’s spinning.
“This isn’t something for the police,” he says quietly, each word controlled. “I’ll get Kate back. I won’t let them harm her.”
There’s no doubt in his voice. No hesitation.
For a moment, his certainty slices through the panic, a sliver of hope—but my body doesn’t listen. I’m still trembling, my pulse screaming in my ears, my thoughts whirling too fast to grab hold of.
“We need to get out of here,” he continues, already moving. “And I need to bring Xan in. We’ll need help.”
He doesn’t slow, just guides me forward as we cut through the haze of the party—the shifting lights, the laughter that suddenly feels obscene, the music thudding like a heartbeat.
I replay every moment, every choice, searching for the instant where I failed her. I should’ve seen it. I should’ve stopped it. The guilt presses down hard, but now it’s no longer alone. Because someone decided they had the right.
“Luc, I can’t lose her,” I whisper, voice cracking as I look up at him. “She’s my family. She has to be okay.”
He meets my eyes and gives a small nod, like he understands exactly what I’m not saying. Like he knows how close I am to breaking—and how close I am to something else.
The fear doesn’t disappear. But it changes. It tightens. Focuses.
My hands curl into fists without me noticing, nails biting into my palms as the image of them—these faceless things—starts to take shape in my mind. And suddenly, the thought of falling apart feels misplaced.
Because they took her.
The anger isn’t loud yet. It doesn’t roar. It manifests low beneath my skin, constant and building, bleeding through the panic instead of replacing it.
If they hurt her . . . if they think they can keep her—
I swallow hard and keep moving. I can feel it settling in.
I’m not just scared anymore.
I’m furious, and I’m getting her back.
We slide into the back of a cab. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Luc typing on his phone, probably messaging Xan, but I don’t have it in me to ask. My mind is fixed on Kate. Her face, her voice, the sheer terror she must be feeling. The anger builds in my chest until everything else fades.
“Kate’s a warrior. She’s going to be okay.” The confidence in his voice gives me some reassurance, even if just a little.
The cab stops in front of an unfamiliar industrial block. Somewhere I’d never end up on my own. Luc pays the driver without a word, and we’re already moving, rushing down the street.
When I see Xan, he’s moving toward us with that determined, focused expression of his. As soon as he reaches me, he pulls me into a hug, and I don’t hesitate. I hold on as if my life depends on it. He doesn’t need me to say anything. He already knows I’m scared out of my mind.
He looks down at me, meeting my eyes, his voice sure. “We’re going to get her back. Don’t you worry. She will be fine. Kate will be fine.”
He lets me go, then pulls Luc aside. The two of them speak quietly, but I catch none of it. The words and cadence are completely foreign. It must be Pomerian. I realize I’ve never heard them speak it before. Not once. Whatever they’re saying, they clearly don’t want me to understand.
Luc turns back to me a moment later, his expression serious. “Okay, we’re going to split up. Xan will find another entrance inside, and you and I will head this way.”
I blink, my forehead creasing. “Why split up? Don’t we need his help?”
He rests a hand gently on my shoulder. “Xan will be helping. But we don’t know what we’re walking into, which puts us at a disadvantage. If something goes wrong, we can’t all be in one spot. It’s too risky.”
His voice is firm but gentle, his eyes sincere. “I promise, Xan and I will handle this in the best way we can. I want to get Kate and get out. This isn’t about being a hero. Our priority is your safety. Both yours and Kate’s.”
He’s right. I know he’s right. But it doesn’t make this any less terrifying.
We walk just a short distance down the block, the crisp air slipping under my jacket and raising goosebumps along my arms, stopping in front of what looks like an old red-brick industrial warehouse. The place is massive, and it’s clear it hasn’t served its original purpose for a long time.
I tilt my head up at it. “Now what?”
He motions for me to follow him up a short set of concrete steps to a landing in front of a pair of heavy metal doors.
There’s a weathered security keypad mounted on the left, with an old camera perched above it.
To the right are tall windows, a rusting metal roll-up door, and a few empty loading bays.
Luc focuses on the keypad. I watch him closely, unsure of what he’s doing, until I see a soft glow pulsing from his hand.
It’s faint at first, then grows stronger, brighter.
There’s a sudden zap of energy and a slight flash of light as he hovers his hand just above the panel.
The electrical system fries in an instant, and then—click. The door unlocks.
He lifts the handle and pushes the door open like it’s nothing. I stare at him, wide-eyed. I can’t help it.
“Okay . . . that was impressive.”
We slip inside, and the space swallows us whole. It’s massive, dark, and eerily quiet. The air is cold and heavy, thick with tension. Silence surrounds our steps as we weave through the emptiness, hunting for any sign of Kate or who took her.
A narrow corridor funnels us onward, its walls pressing close, until it spills into a pitch-black chamber. I start forward on instinct, but Luc’s arm snaps out, stopping me cold.
I freeze.
Without a word, he lowers his hand. A low hum fills the silence as his body begins to charge, energy building beneath his skin. Light radiates from him in waves, his eyes glowing, his entire form pulsing with controlled power.
Then, with a quiet surge, he releases it.
The room lights up instantly. Overhead fixtures flicker to life, casting harsh white light down on the space—and on two figures standing across from us.
But they aren’t just standing there.
Their bodies flicker, pulse with energy, as if they’re being held together by light and static alone. Shimmering outlines caught in a constant loop of motion. The sound of crackling energy echoes through the room as their forms shift and circle, never fully settling.
It’s the first time I’m seeing them, but even as I stare right at them, their faces remain a blur.
Panic surges through me, mixing with a raw, primal fear.
One of them steps forward, a figure shrouded in static. Its voice cuts through the air, high-pitched and distorted.
“At last. The convergence. Chloe, we have awaited this meeting. The strands of time have unraveled to this moment.”
What the hell does that mean?
My thoughts spin as I glance up at Luc, and I can see the confusion etched across his face too.
“Where is she? Where’s Kate?”
My heart hammers in my chest. I need to know she’s okay, but Luc’s gesture toward the corner freezes me in place.
There she is.
Sitting in a chair. Tied up.
Alive.
I want to run to her, hug her, make sure she’s okay, kill the fucking monsters that took her—but Luc’s eyes lock onto mine, and I hear his voice in my mind.
Not yet. They want you to go over there. She’s safe for now. We need to figure out what they want. We need to be smart.
I nod, trying to breathe through the sick feeling in my stomach. I hate every second of this, but I understand.
The tension in the room shifts as one Surger speaks again.
“We require nothing from you, Lucien. Your essence holds no purpose in this space. But Chloe . . . Chloe is of us. And we will show her the reason.”