Chapter 1
The armored vehicle sped forward,
tearing through the dark streets of Seattle.
Rain hammered against the reinforced glass,
but the inside of the cabin was dead silent.
I clutched my swollen stomach,
gasping as another sharp pain ripped through me.
Lucian Blackwood watched me,
his dark eyes unreadable,
yet piercing.
He reached out,
placing a warm hand over my trembling fingers.
"Keep breathing,"
he commanded,
his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the car.
I squeezed my eyes shut,
trying to fight the panic.
Nathan was waiting for me,
waiting to take my babies away.
How did he know,
and why was he at the hospital?
"He will not touch them,"
Lucian said,
as if he had read my mind.
I looked up at him,
tears spilling down my cheeks.
"You do not even know me,"
I whispered,
my voice breaking.
Lucian pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket,
gently wiping a tear from my jaw.
"I know enough,"
he replied,
his jaw clenching with suppressed anger.
"I know Nathan Drake is a fool,
and I know he is about to lose everything."
Another contraction hit me,
harder than the last,
stealing the breath from my lungs.
I screamed,
curling forward into a tight ball.
Lucian leaned over,
pulling me against his broad chest.
"Drive faster,"
he barked at the driver,
his tone leaving no room for argument.
The engine roared,
and we surged forward into the storm.
I buried my face in his expensive coat,
breathing in the scent of cedar and power.
For the first time in five years,
I felt entirely safe,
even though I was in the arms of a dangerous stranger.
"We are three minutes away, sir,"
the driver announced,
swerving around a slow-moving truck.
My heart pounded furiously,
echoing the rhythm of the rain.
Nathan's threatening message flashed in my mind again,
taunting me,
terrifying me.
He wanted my heirs,
he wanted my flesh and blood,
while throwing me out like garbage.
I gripped Lucian's coat tighter,
desperate for an anchor.
"Please,"
I begged,
"do not let him take them."
Lucian's arms tightened around me,
forming an unbreakable shield.
"Ava,"
he said my name,
making it sound like a promise.
"Before this night is over,
Nathan Drake will wish he had never been born."
The car violently jerked to a halt,
throwing me forward slightly,
May you like
but Lucian held me secure.
We had arrived.
