Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
I leaned into his warmth anyway, letting myself enjoy the moment while my mind spun with the conflicting fears of losing him or bringing babies into a dangerous world.
While Soren held me on his lap, I let my gaze drift across the grassy area beside the pool. Two boys were playing chase, their laughter ringing. Kane and Axle were nearby, their gazes never straying far from the children. The little ones ran and tumbled without a single worry, completely safe under the protection of the club.
I let myself imagine a future where I had a child of my own playing in that grass—surrounded by this fierce, unexpected family. The picture filled me with hope until the memories crashed over me without warning.
Terror surged through my veins, and I slammed the door shut on that fragile daydream. I wanted a life like this with Soren, but every time hope tried to bloom, the memory of what I’d survived choked it out.
I turned my face into his neck, breathing him in before I turned back to Hadley and Lark. I hid the war raging inside me for the rest of the day and into the evening.
Soren found me in the kitchen, helping to make dinner. His expression was serious as he reached for my hand. “Come with me. I need to show you something.”
I let him lead me down the hallway to the office he shared with Shifter. Once the door closed behind us, he sat me down in a chair beside his desk and pulled out a folder. There were surveillance-style photos of a young woman with soft features and strawberry-blond hair, similar to mine. My hands started to shake as I looked through the pages. Notes detailed her daily routines, that she worked at a small historical archive, and had recent involvement in a preservation internship.
The evidence was undeniable. There was only one possible conclusion. “She fits the paired preservation framework he used on me. She can complete the tableau that I ruined by escaping.”
“He’s chosen a replacement,” Soren agreed, watching my face.
“Oh my gosh,” I whispered, horror flooding through me as I lowered my gaze to stare down at my now-healed wrists. “He’s going to do it again. Soon.”
“Yes.”
Anger rose hot in my chest, burning away some of the fear. This wasn’t just about me anymore. Another woman—someone innocent who probably loved history the way I did—was being stalked and prepared for the same nightmare I had barely survived.
I looked up at Soren, my voice trembling but determined. “We have to stop him. He can’t take her the same way he did me. She might not get away.”
The thought of this woman waking up in that cold room, posed like a corpse beside another victim, made me feel physically sick. But beneath the horror, a fierce resolve settled in. I had survived. I had knowledge that could help. And I refused to let Magnus continue his sick collection.
Soren’s hand covered mine, as I stared at the papers spread across his desk. My heart pounded with a mix of horror and urgency. “We should go to the police. This woman needs protection right now. They can warn her, put her in some kind of program—”
Soren shook his head before interrupting. “Already handled. Kane sent brothers to watch over her the moment we confirmed her identity. They’ve been on her since last night. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s not alone.”
I blinked at him, stunned into silence.
The Redline Kings weren’t just protecting me. They were looking after a woman who had no idea she was even in danger. They were out there right now, quietly guarding her life because it was the right thing to do. And they weren’t motivated by any recognition they’d receive for it. This was just who they were, protectors to their core.
The idea of raising children inside that kind of fierce, unwavering loyalty suddenly felt less impossible. The Kings might be dangerous, but only toward anyone who threatened what was theirs. They protected people who needed shielding, even strangers.
The fear still lived in me, so I couldn’t say yes to the future Soren wanted. Not yet.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
My gratitude was about more than what he’d just told me, but now wasn’t the time to talk about where my thoughts had gone.
Soren pulled me out of the chair and into his arms, holding me close against his solid chest. I wrapped my arms around his waist and let his warmth steady me.
He didn’t push. He simply held me, one hand stroking slowly down my back, the other resting possessively at the nape of my neck.
I stayed there, safe in his embrace, feeling the seed of possibility growing stronger inside me. I still wasn’t sure I was brave enough for the future he wanted. But I no longer flinched away from the thought of it.