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Serenity's face goes pale as she studies the photographs. "These were taken outside my apartment. And here—" She points to another image. "This is from last month when I met with that vampire informant."

"It gets worse." Kellan takes out a final document. "Three PGC officials have been receiving payments through offshore accounts tied to shell companies. The money trail leads back to properties owned by Crescentfall Holdings."

The name plunges my core into freezing dread. We are dealing with far more than a rogue coven; we are facing a systematic betrayal originating from the absolute core of the organization established to protect the supernatural community.

"How long have you known?" Serenity's voice wields a dangerous edge.

"Suspected for days. Confirmed it this morning when I tracked down the source." Kellan meets her stare directly. "Someone inside PGC authorized your apartment surveillance six months ago. They've been planning this hunt for a very long time."

"Why now?" The question slips past my lips, raw and painfully clear. "Six months of surveillance, and they make their move the moment Serenity starts investigating the subway disappearances."

Kellan's expression darkens further. "Because she got too close to something they couldn't afford to lose. Whatever that coven is planning, it requires her bloodline specifically."

"The journals kept referencing something called The Vessel," Serenity murmurs, her fingers fidgeting with the rings on her other hand. "I couldn't figure out what it meant. But if they need Crowe blood specifically..."

"We have to move now." Gathering our scattered gear, my instincts scream that we've stayed in one place too long. "This safe house is compromised if they have PGC resources."

"Already on it." Kellan grabs his phone. "I've got a boat waiting at the marina. We can be in international waters within⁠—"

The window explodes inward in a shower of glass and glowing sparks.

Three figures in armored gear pour through the opening, their weapons emitting an enchanted hum that makes my senses recoil. Behind them, more shapes move across the parking lot—at least six mercenaries, all wearing the same spell-dampening armor.

"Down!" I roar, shoving Serenity behind the overturned dresser as magical rounds pepper the wall where she'd been standing.

She leaps back up, fiercely determined. Argent flares erupt from her palms as she rises, her magic sculpting protective barriers that deflect the next volley of shots. The energy crackles around us, and my instincts thrust forward to meet it.

"Left side!" Serenity calls out, cutting through the chaos.

Already in motion before she finishes speaking, I dive low as she sends a concentrated burst of power over my head. The spell catches one mercenary center mass and sends him crashing through the bathroom door. My claws extend as I tackle the second attacker, tearing through his armor like tissue paper.

Serenity pivots, blind to the room but hyper-aware of the threat, her magic forming a shield right as the third mercenary tries to flank us. "Behind you!"

Spinning quickly, I catch his weapon arm and snap the bone with a wet crack. The enchanted rifle clatters across the floor, its magical charge dissipating harmlessly.

We fight like we've done this for years instead of days. She calls directions—a quick, instinctive command—and I'm already there. I clear a path, and she seals it behind us, her barriers thrumming in sharp, precise unison. Three more mercenaries breach through the bathroom window, and we drop them in sequence—her magic pinning, my claws finishing—our teamwork operating beyond the need for speech.

Then, mid-stride, Serenity stops. The light around her hands stutters, her eyes going wide and glassy, fixed on something none of us can see. The calm center falters.

"Serenity!" Her name rips from my throat as she stands frozen, power spiraling uncontrolled from her fingers. Time distorts, fraying painfully thin, as I see our enemy seizing the moment.

Across the room, a dark-clad figure raises a device. Its runes flare ominously; they mirror those restraints they nearly used on her before. A capturing spell—damn it!

“Cover me!” I lock eyes with Kellan, trusting him to understand.

“We’ve got this.” He’s already on the move, drawing the attackers’ fire away with an exactness born from years of battle alongside me.

Adrenaline sharpens every sense as I launch myself toward Serenity. "Focus, Serenity!" My shout cuts through her paralysis and yanks her back to awareness. I reach her exactly as the runes reach peak brightness. Her gaze locks on mine, shock from whatever she just witnessed haunting her eyes as fear and determination war in those depths.

“Move!” Yanking her behind me, I feel the metaphysical clamp of magic brush past. Close—too close.

Kellan barrels into the caster, using the butt of his custom-modified, spell-piercing rifle to drive them hard into the ground and knock them out. Their concentration breaks as their equipment scatters across the floor. The spell dissipates, its dangerous potential neutered. Heart pounding, I haul Serenity further from the fray, feeling her stabilize beneath my grip.

“You okay?” It's a gruff question, but I need to hear she's back with me.

Her nod is tight but resolute. "I'll hold." Her voice scrapes, but her eyes are clear.

Relief flares, but there's no time to wallow in it. The air buzzes thick with danger; we have seconds before reinforcements converge. Beside me, Kellan makes quick, ruthless work of the last attacker.