The morning after their shared moment in the kitchen, a heavy fog had rolled in over the estate. Xavier was out in the gardens early, his mind racing. He knew that the more he cared for Seraphina, the more dangerous Silas's friends became.
He was walking near the perimeter fence when he spotted something that made his blood run cold. A small, black drone was hovering near the windows of the North Corridor—the wing that led to the secret basement.
"Hey!" Xavier shouted, picking up a heavy stone from the garden path.
The drone dipped and zipped away toward the treeline before he could throw. Xavier didn't hesitate. He vaulted over the low stone wall and sprinted into the woods, his boots crunching over dry leaves. He knew these shadows; he had lived in them his whole life.
He caught a glimpse of a figure in a dark jacket standing by a black sedan parked on the dirt road outside the estate. The man was holding a remote control.
"Who sent you?" Xavier roared, closing the distance in seconds.
The man panicked, tossing the remote into the car and diving into the driver's seat. Xavier reached the door just as the engine roared to life. He slammed his fist against the window, a spiderweb of cracks forming in the glass, but the car peeled away, kicking up a spray of gravel.
Xavier stood in the middle of the road, his chest heaving. He looked down at his hand—his knuckles were bleeding, but he didn't feel the pain. He looked back at the mansion, standing tall and white against the grey sky.
The secret wasn't safe. Silas might be gone, but the vultures were circling, and they were getting closer to the heart of the Vane Empire.
He pulled out his phone and called Arthur. "Secure the North Wing. Tell Seraphina to stay in the library. We have company."
As he walked back toward the house, Xavier realized that the "Ice Queen's Contract" had just become a war for survival. And he was the only one standing on the front line.