Chapter Fifteen
Asher
Harlan makes me wait in one of his back offices. A petty power move, and we both know it. My mood sours. The longer I'm away from Sage, and especially from Kayden, the more likely something will spiral.
Finally, the door opens. The mayor strides in. Suit pressed, tie neat, self-importance radiating like cheap cologne. He doesn't sit. Neither do I.
I stay in the far corner, hands clasped behind my back, stance standard and controlled.
"What is it, Darrow?" he says briskly, shutting the door. "I don't have time for this. Important things are happening."
You don't say.
I hold his gaze in silence. The weight of it stretches the moment until his impatience shifts to discomfort.
At last I speak. "So I've heard. Meeting with Darius Hawthorn himself?"
If he's surprised, he buries it deep. "Yes. Mr. Hawthorn has proposed a significant investment in this town, and my schedule is full because of it. So, please, be quick."
The please is all polish, no sincerity. I let it slide.
"Darius isn't here to help this town. He's here for someone important to me. Everything he's promising is leverage. A strategy for control."
Harlan frowns, lips tightening. "You want me to believe that a well-respected billionaire would throw millions around just to—what? Steal away someone you care about?"
"Darius Hawthorn is one of us," I say calmly. "Not human."
That makes him pause. He forces a laugh. "Mr. Hawthorn is a businessman, widely known—"
"And an ancient satyr," I cut in. "Both can coexist."
He scoffs, derisive. "Right. What's next—the whole cast of Midsummer Night's Dream hiding in my county?"
Closer to the truth than he realizes. I don't bite.
He exhales hard through his nose, frustration flaring. "Look, Darrow. I've tolerated your little enclave in this town because I owe you for Donna. But if you think that gives you a say in how I run this place, you're mistaken."
I take two measured steps closer. No words. Just presence. It presses on him like a weight. His bravado falters. He shifts back a half-step without realizing, throat working.
When he speaks again, his tone is different.
Quieter. "I… I won't pretend I understand everything going on.
But you need to understand me too. If I turn Hawthorn away, he'll take this project elsewhere.
This is an opportunity for the people here.
For the whole county. Do you want me to be the one who denies them that? "
I clench my jaw, steady. "No. But he won't take the project elsewhere. Because this isn't about the town. It's about the person he's hunting."
I can see him filing it away, expression thoughtful. He'll use it for leverage, no doubt. Typical politician.
"We're signing in two days at a public event," he says.
"It's already in motion. I can't back out now.
What do I tell my people? That a vampire warned me this billionaire businessman is actually an ancient satyr with ulterior motives?
Even if he is—Hawthorn's investments are real.
The track record is real. The money is real.
You want me to throw that away because you've got an axe to grind with him? I can't."
The last words aren't defiant. They're pleading.
"He doesn't care about this town or you," I say evenly. "He'll twist this into whatever he wants."
Harlan leans forward, voice tight. "If he's that powerful, that manipulative, then what stops him from doing it anyway? Even if I back out? What's to stop him finding another way, another person?"
It's a fair question. I can picture it easily: Darius arranging an 'accident,' a new mayor stepping in, the project signed anyway.
Harlan exhales, rubs a hand over his jaw. "Look. I'll be careful. I'll watch him. But I can't back out, Darrow. Not now. Do you understand?"
I narrow my eyes, arms folding across my chest. Kayden would break him, push until Harlan bent or bled.
And I could. Threaten him, influence him to do exactly what I wanted.
But how long would that last? Until Darius found another pawn.
Another path. At least now, with Donna here, we can watch from inside. Track the enemy.
"This won't end well for Briar Hollow," I warn.
"Then why don't you leave?" His voice drops, sharp and low. "Take the person he's after and go. If it's so dangerous, get out. Save us the trouble."
My jaw locks. Damn him. He's not wrong.
"Thought so," he mutters. "You want me to sacrifice everything, but you won't. This town isn't your priority."
I shake my head once. "Neither is yours. Don't dress ambition as civic duty, Harlan. We both know what this is." I turn for the door. "Have it your way."
Gone before he can answer.
The worst part is—I understand. The project and the money might be real. That's what makes Darius dangerous—his lies are wrapped in truth.
Back at the house, I spot tire tracks. The barrier looks intact, but I stay sharp as I approach.
The door opens before I touch it. Kayden leans against the frame, smirk lazy. "See? I kept it all together. House didn't burn down. Sage is safe and sound."
And there she is. Beside him. Her smile is small, a little strained, but genuine. Something tight in my chest eases.
She's safe.
"Someone came here," I say.
Kayden shrugs. "Yeah. Faun package delivery. Excellent service."
Sage steps forward and presses something into my hand. Heavy cardstock, neat embossed design. An invitation.
"Darius is organizing an event," she says quietly. "Some kind of deal with the mayor. And we're invited."
I frown. So that's what Harlan meant. The satyr moves fast.
The paper is nothing special: date, time, a polished message about the environment and Hawthorn Industries partnering with Briar Hollow.
"What do we do?" Sage asks as I walk into the house.
"I say we ignore it." Kayden's tone is clipped, his body tight with disdain. He tosses his copy onto the pile for burning in the fireplace. "It's bait. He wants her out from behind the barrier."
I check my phone. Missed messages. Tomas. Astrid. Eira. All received the same invitation. Delivered to their doors.
I shake my head. "He'd expect that. The most basic reaction is to refuse. To stay put."
Kayden mutters 'basic' under his breath, jaw tight, posture sharp against the wall.
Sage fidgets with her copy, the folds creased from her hands. "What do we lose if we don't go?"
I nod. Good question. Strategic. "If we stay home, we hide. Meanwhile, he gets the deal signed. He cements himself as the benefactor and we lose any chance to expose him."
"And maybe stop the signing," Sage adds.
"Or," Kayden cuts in, eyes glinting, "we take him out. He'll be in the open."
Sage frowns. "Yeah. Shooting or stabbing a billionaire in the middle of a signing ceremony? That'll go down well. People don't know what he is, Kayden. You wouldn't just have Darius on you, you'd have the police. The press. Everyone. That wouldn't help us."
His gaze narrows. "Funny how defensive you get when the subject is killing him."
I step in before it escalates. "Sage is right. A public strike isn't an option. Not for us. Not for him. It's neutral ground. Unless he's willing to reveal himself."
"So, we should go?" Sage asks.
"Not you, wifey. You stay home. You're the key to this," Kayden cuts in.
I hesitate. He's not wrong. If they get Sage, everything else collapses.
But she flares, eyes sharp. "No way. I'm not going to sit here locked up. That's not how this works. I'm not some princess in a tower, and I won't play that role."
Kayden steps closer, jaw tight. "Oh, you are a princess. Running from your not-so-charming prince. And you're staying here. I'll chain you in the basement if I have to."
Sage steps into him, unflinching. "You won't dare."
"Watch me, sunshine." His hand closes over hers.
She rips free, her words sharper than the motion. "If you do this, you're no better than him."
Kayden freezes like she struck him.
I move between them, my tone cutting clean. "We will all go."
Kayden's mouth opens, but I turn on him before he can argue.
"We stay with her the entire time. Tomas, Donna, the others will be there too.
Sage is right, locking her away only weakens us.
If she stays behind, we split our forces, and that leaves the house exposed. He could strike here while we're gone."
"Then we don't go at all," Kayden mutters, but there's no conviction behind it.
"He wants that," I answer, voice steadying. "Division. Fear. That's how he works. I know the type. We don't let him dictate the field. We show up together and we don't back down."
Reluctant, Kayden shrugs. Sage nods, calmer now, her fire banked but not gone.
"This is a risk," I admit. "A minefield. But I've walked worse."
"Then we dress sharp," Sage says. "If it's a battle, we go prepared."
A rare smile tugs at my mouth. "Oh, we will. Every battle has its uniform. This one happens to be tuxedos and gowns."