break room, her hands trembling around a cup of untouched coffee. Sleep had abandoned her; every time she closed her

o let him handle his own wars. B

oor to his room, the sight that gr

wasn'

en. All dressed in black, sharp-eyed, dangerous. One of them had a scar running from his t

abella entered, their gazes sw

illows, his face pale but his expr

gh she kept her voice steady. "You sh

"He needs protection more than rest. If one of Ma

tiffened.

nemy," he said simply. "One who does

nd of business, but she already knew the answe

We're moving you tonight, boss. This

otest escaped befor

tioning, but she stood her ground. "He's not strong enough to be moved. If

ered. "And you'd kn

ze never left Isabella. "She saved my life. Sh

h unspoken tension. Then, slowly, the

g too late how fiercely sh

n told her quietly once the others shifted away

hat?" sh

with something dangerous. "T

d. "I don't belon

ou proved it last night when you stood between me and death. That's

to tell him he was wrong. But she couldn't erase the truth-her body

muring low. Lucian listened, his expression

he said at last. "There'll b

ught. "And you'll dr

ightly. "No. I'll shield y

ars burning her eyes. "You can't

rm, grounding, despite the chaos swirling ar

lplessly drawn into

go, Isabella. N

between reason and the

st time, she re

wasn't just her

her c

er pr