Character's POV
My pulse hammered erratically against the exact spot where his breath ghosted over my skin.
Every muscle in my body locked into paralyzed tension. The lethal Nightshade instinct to strike, to snap an attacker's neck, screamed through my veins. But I forced my hands to remain trembling slightly in my lap. I had to be the helpless prey.
A sharp click echoed in the suffocating cabin.
The heavy seatbelt snapped firmly across my chest.
Caleb pulled back smoothly. His expression was an impenetrable mask as he settled into his massive seat, putting a fraction of distance between us. The space instantly flooded with his oppressive, dark pine and rain scent.
"Safety first," he murmured, his gravelly voice vibrating right through the leather seats.
A shaky breath forced its way past my lips. I nodded mutely, refusing to trust my voice.
Before the adrenaline could recede, chaos erupted on the other side of the vehicle.
"Wow! Is this car bulletproof?" Asher's excited voice piped up. Small hands slapped against the heavy tinted window.
Leo was already climbing over the center console, completely immune to the terrifying Alpha aura radiating from the man beside me. "It's built like a tank! Mister, are you a soldier?"
"Boys, sit down!" I hissed. Panic spiked wildly in my chest. Do not provoke the Lycan King.
Caleb didn't snap. He simply glanced at Leo, a strange, almost amused glint flashing in his golden eyes. "Something like that."
That was the only opening Mia needed.
My angelic daughter, wearing her frilly pink dress, casually scrambled onto the seat right next to Caleb. She giggled, reaching her tiny hands out toward his massive arm.
My blood turned to ice.
The microscopic, hollow needle hidden in the setting of her plastic toy ring glinted in the dim light. She was going for his blood. Right here. Right now.
Mia, no!
I lunged forward. Before my fingertips could even brush her dress, Caleb shifted.
It was a microscopic movement. He reached out to steady her, his massive palm wrapping gently around her tiny waist so she wouldn't tumble as the SUV took a sharp turn. In doing so, his forearm smoothly glided exactly half an inch out of the trajectory of her ring.
"Careful, little one," Caleb's low voice rumbled with surprising gentleness.
Mia pouted, clearly frustrated that her perfect strike had completely missed. She quickly hid her hands behind her back, flashing him a toothy, innocent smile. "Thank you, Mister wide-shoulders!"
I collapsed back against my leather seat. My heart battered violently against my ribcage.
To him, it was a clumsy toddler playing. But the terrifying reflexes required to dodge a targeted strike completely subconsciously... This man was an absolute apex predator. Attempting to steal his blood was equivalent to walking a tightrope over an active volcano.
The agonizing ride finally ended when the SUV pulled to a halt outside my run-down grocery store in the slums.
I practically shoved the children out the heavy door, throwing a trembling word of thanks over my shoulder.
Caleb didn't reply. His golden eyes tracked us through the tinted glass until we disappeared inside the dingy shop. The moment the roaring engine faded down the broken street, the facade shattered.
I bolted the door, dropping my forehead against the peeling wood. My lungs burned as I finally sucked in a real breath.
"That was him." Asher's voice was no longer a child's excited chatter. It was dead serious.
I turned around. My six-year-old son was already cross-legged on the threadbare rug, a heavily modified, military-grade encrypted tablet resting on his knees. His small fingers flew across the screen in a blur.
"His name is Caleb Blackwood," Asher continued, lines of green code reflecting in his bright eyes. "Lycan King. Head of the Blackwood Syndicate."
"I missed," Mia grumbled from the corner, aggressively kicking a stuffed bear. "He moves too fast. I need a better distraction next time."
"There will be no next time, Mia." My voice dropped into a razor-sharp, icy tone that belonged solely to the Queen of the Nightshade Guild. "No one touches him. His reflexes are unnatural. If he catches you, even I won't be able to pull you out of the crossfire."
Leo crossed his arms, his biceps unnaturally defined for a kid his age. "But Mom, we need an Alpha's pure blood to stop the red eyes. His scent made the pain stop. The burning went away."
My stomach clenched. Leo was right. The feral heat of Caleb's presence had instantly soothed the crushing agony of the Lycan curse in their veins. The curse was a ticking time bomb. The cure was literally driving away in a bulletproof SUV.
I will get that blood. The silent vow echoed in my mind. But on my terms.
"Go to your room. Do your homework," I instructed firmly. "I need to check the inventory."
The kids grumbled but obeyed, their small shadows disappearing up the creaky stairs.
I waited until the bedroom door clicked shut. Then, I walked to the back of the store, shoving aside a stack of dusty detergent boxes. My thumb pressed against a hidden biometric scanner disguised as a water pipe valve.
A heavy, metallic sequence vibrated beneath my boots.
The floorboards slid open silently, revealing a concrete staircase descending into absolute darkness.
I walked down. Motion-sensor lights flickered on one by one, illuminating the cold air that carried the sharp, metallic tang of gun oil and dried blood.
At the bottom of the stairs, the dim, blue LED lights flared.
The massive underground bunker stretched out before me. Rows upon rows of heavy military-grade artillery, sniper rifles, and racks of gleaming, custom-forged cold weapons covered the concrete walls, their lethal silhouettes reflecting the shadows.
I walked toward the central steel workbench. I picked up a perfectly balanced combat dagger, the blade still holding a faint, dark stain at the hilt, and pulled a sterile cloth from the bench to methodically wipe the steel.
Suddenly, the encrypted supercomputer spanning the back wall flared to life. A stark, priority message flashed across the black screen.
Nightshade Guild Central Command. Code Red. Blackwood Syndicate forces have breached three of our European outposts.
I stared at the glowing red letters. My grip tightened on the heavy dagger until my knuckles turned stark white.
Caleb Blackwood. The man I desperately needed to keep close to save my children, was the exact same man actively hunting me down to kill me.