phin

oppressive, broken only by his occasional, gruff commands. He had given me a suite of rooms on the opposite side of the pe

rful Pack on the continent. I chose my armor carefully: a simple, elegant black dress. It w

a dark suit, looking every bit the ruthless tycoon. His

o," was a

ress, sprawling over acres of private forest on the edge of the city. As we pulled up to the main en

oak doors swung open. An elderly man in a butle

sent a strange

oyer. Her face lit up with genuine,

e into a surprisingly strong hug. Over her shoulder, I saw Damien

aw me as the cure for her grandson's curse, the

power hierarchy was clear. Victoria dominated the conversation, asking me carefully vetted questions. I gave her the poli

. "As is tradition," she said, her eyes sparkling, "the

velvet boxes on a large table.

diamonds, sapphires, emeralds. A king's ransom. This was a test. I

he main Sinclair vault. But this," she said, picking up a sm

as a silver locket, intricately carved with the

My blood turned to ic

f my mother's sacred relics. One of t

g my lips. All I could see was the locket

ng to you," Victoria said, her voice

e knew. She knew something about

f my neck like a fine needle

a's shoulder, searching instinctive

d been watching. His eyes were cold and sharp, like

fixed on that small box with something close to desperation. To h

rming in his mind: another woman w

h. In the end, I

ecided on an answer, any e

t he wanted. I ha