Dinner was awfully quiet.
It was Evadra who finally broke the silence.
"So… when are we leaving for Europe?" she asked, her eyes fixed on her plate.
Before Marie could speak, Lucian replied,
"Next tomorrow. Tomorrow's for packing."
Marie opened her mouth to say something, but Evadra cut in quickly.
"Okay. I'll ready my bags. Not like I have a choice anyway."
She pushed her chair back, stood up, and walked out.
No
one tried to stop her.
Evadra was in her room, quietly packing.
Meanwhile, the others remained at the dining table, the mood still heavy.
"Why didn't you tell her?" Thalos asked, his voice low.
"I don't want to hurt her," Marie replied, trying to hold herself together. "We're going to protect her. She doesn't really need to know… it'll break her."
She sobbed quietly into her hands, and Alon and Nero moved closer, gently trying to comfort her.
Lucian stood up without a word and left the room.
Later that evening, he walked down the hallway and stopped at Evadra's door. He found her still packing, her movements quiet but sharp.
As he was about to step in, she spoke without turning.
"I never said you could come in."
"I'm your older brother," he replied. "I don't need permission."
He walked in anyway. She finally looked at him—eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"I don't want to leave," she whispered.
Lucian walked over and gently brushed a hand through her hair.
"I know you don't," he said softly. "But Marie needs to visit her friends."
"Her friends? Aren't they our friends too?" Evadra snapped, her voice tight with emotion.
"No," Lucian admitted honestly. "But we have to be with Marie. She's done so much for us already. You know that."
He sat down on the edge of her bed, the room silent but thick with feeling.
Then he spoke again, voice lower this time.
"My parents… they used me. For illegal things. Smuggling, mostly. Marie—she got me out. Saved me when no one else would. She took me in when I was barely human anymore."
He looked at Evadra with something soft and solemn in his eyes.
"You owe her too, Evadra. Maybe more than you realize."
He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then stood.
"Thank you, Lucian," she said quietly.
"Anytime," he replied as he stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Evadra lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind tangled with restless thoughts.
Were the boys in trouble again?
Was Marie's life in danger?
And who exactly were these "friends" they were going to visit in Europe?
She felt exhausted—mentally and emotionally.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen.
Jayden.
She sat up and answered.
"Hey."
"How you doing?" his voice came through, calm and steady.
"Kind of fine," she replied, not quite convincing.
There was a pause. Then he asked,
"You wanna go to the club?"
Evadra looked at the time.
10:30 PM.
She hesitated for a moment, then said softly,
"Yeah. Let's go."
She stood and walked to her wardrobe. From the back, she pulled out the sleek gown Jayden had gifted her. A small smile touched her lips as she slid it on.
She applied light makeup—just enough to look composed.
Then, silently, she climbed out through her window.
Jayden's car was already waiting.
She stepped in without a word, and he drove off into the night.
The club pulsed with heavy bass and flashing lights. Evadra danced with Jayden, letting the music and movement blur the weight of everything she'd been holding inside.
"What's wrong?" Jayden asked, leaning close.
"We're traveling to Europe," she said, barely audible over the beat. "All my brothers are back."
"That's nice," Jayden said with a smile. "But why do you look so sad?"
"I don't want to talk about it," she muttered.
Before he could press her further, she pulled him into a deep kiss. Their lips locked, heat rising between them. When they broke apart, Jayden looked at her, desire in his eyes.
"You wanna get out of here?"
"Yes," she replied quickly.
"But I need to hit the bathroom first," he said.
She nodded and watched him walk away, then made her way to the bar to wait.
The bartender slid a drink toward her with a grin.
She reached for her purse, but he stopped her.
"Pretty girls don't pay," he said smoothly.
She gave a small smile and drank it in one gulp.
He handed her another. She hesitated.
"Not sure I should…"
"You'll be fine," he said, still smiling.
After a moment, she took it. The burn was instant, sharper than before.
He leaned in, about to start a conversation, but she cut him off.
"I'm going to look for my boyfriend."
She walked off, but her legs felt heavy. The room was spinning. Her vision started to swim.
No. No, no, no.
She realized it too late — she'd been drugged.
Pushing through the crowd, she found her way to the women's restroom. One of the stalls had unmistakable moaning coming from it. Disgusted, she moved to the next one and locked herself inside.
A few minutes passed. The couple finished and left, their laughter echoing faintly as the door shut behind them.
Evadra pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling. She tapped Jayden's name.
No answer.
She called again. Still nothing.
Her head was spinning. Her limbs were slow. She leaned against the stall wall, breathing hard.
Suddenly, the restroom door creaked open again.
She stayed silent, thinking it was just another girl—until a loud bang slammed into her stall door.
"Come out, you bitch," a voice snarled. "Let me have a taste of you. Nothing is free."
Her blood ran cold.
She recognized that voice—it was the bartender.
Her heart pounded. Her fingers shook. She tried Jayden again. No answer.
Frantic now, her thumb slipped—and she accidentally called Alon.
"Jayden...? Jayden, where are you?" she cried into the phone, barely coherent. "I'm in the bathroom… someone's trying to rape me…"
She sobbed, the banging continuing, the door trembling under each hit.
Outside the line, Alon's voice crackled with urgency:
"Evadra?! Evadra, where are you?"
But her world was already slipping into darkness. She dropped the phone as her knees buckled.
Everything went quiet as she passed out on the cold, bathroom floor.
Alon's heart pounded as he stared at the phone screen, Evadra's voice still echoing in his ears.
"Evadra? Evadra!"
Nothing.
Static. Silence.
Panic gripped him. He jumped up and burst out of his room, shouting.
"Evadra! Evadra!"
His voice echoed through the halls, waking the house.
Marie rushed out first, hair messy, alarm in her eyes.
"What happened? What's wrong with Evadra?"
"She—she called me," Alon stammered. "She said someone was trying to—"
He choked on the words. "And now she's not responding!"
Lucian appeared next, shirt half-buttoned, eyes narrowing.
"She called you?"
"She... she called me," he muttered. "She was crying. She said they were going to..."
He stopped. He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
He swallowed hard. "She thought I was Jayden. She kept calling for him."
Lucian and Nero turned sharply.
"Evadra has a boyfriend?" they asked in unison, shocked.
Alon looked at them, blinking. "Yeah... Jayden."
Thalos scoffed and muttered under his breath, "Typical. She's just like her father. Always doing things in secret."
Lucian turned sharply toward him.
"Don't you dare say that about her."He turned sharply, his face cold.
"You know what? Stay here with Marie."
Thalos opened his mouth, but Lucian was already turning away.
Marie gave Thalos a sharp look.
Alon interrupted, voice urgent.
"She called me from somewhere called Club Rosemont. It's near here.
Without hesitation, Lucian grabbed his keys.
"Let's go."
In seconds, the house exploded into motion.
They piled into the car, the engine growling as Lucian slammed his foot on the gas. The streets blurred past in a rush of headlights and nerves. Nobody spoke.
When they reached the club, they split up.
"Bathroom," Alon said, remembering her words. He ran.
Inside the pulsing club lights, they pushed past crowds, searching, shoving, scanning faces.
Then, as they rounded a corner, Alon spotted someone near the hallway to the restrooms.
Jayden.
Alon stormed up to him. "Jayden! Have you seen Evadra?"
Jayden looked startled. "I—I left her a while ago…"
Lucian stepped forward, jaw clenched.
"You stay away from my sister."
Jayden backed off, the weight of Lucian's glare enough to make him freeze.
They burst into the women's bathroom.
But it was empty.
"She's not here," Nero said, voice low, shaken.
For a moment, no one moved. Panic settled over them like a shadow.
"She said she was in the bathroom," Alon whispered. "She said someone was trying to hurt her…".
Lucian's jaw clenched.
"Check the back."
They ran for the emergency exit that led to the alley.
---
There, in the shadows, two men were dragging Evadra toward a black van.
"HEY!" Lucian roared.
The men froze.
Before they could move—Thalos appeared from nowhere, weapon drawn. A single shot cracked the air, hitting the van's bumper and scattering the would-be kidnappers.
Lucian, Nero, and Alon charged in.
One man lunged—Thalos tackled him, fists flying. A knife flashed—Talos took a hit to the shoulder, but he didn't even flinch.
They took the men down fast. Lucian scooped Evadra into his arms—unconscious, drugged, but alive.
Now, inside the car on the ride back, the air was heavy with exhaustion and adrenaline.
Lucian was driving, hands tight around the wheel. He glanced at the rearview mirror, then turned slightly to look at Thalos, who was staring out the window in silence.
Blood had soaked through the shoulder of his shirt.
Lucian spoke quietly, but firmly.
"You okay?"
Thalos didn't look back. He just nodded once.
"It's nothing."
Lucian didn't press. They all rode in silence, the weight of what had almost happened pressing down on them.
No one said it.
But they all knew.
This wasn't over.
The war had begun.