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Estella raises her hands and summons defensive barriers that shimmer blue-white against my assault. "Control yourself before you bring the house down!"

"Maybe it deserves to come down!"

My power lashes out again, wild and unrestrained. The gilded chest explodes into splinters, ancient manuscripts scattering everywhere. Estella's barriers crack under the onslaught.

"Enough!" Estella's voice cuts through my magical storm as her protective barrier shatters into nothingness, rendering her exposed. Her power flares and meets mine head-on in a clash that makes the windows rattle. "This is exactly why the bloodline has protocols. Why we maintain discipline."

The condescension in her tone causes my magic to flare in a defensive snap. "Protocols?"

"The Crowe family line has survived for centuries because we understand restraint. Because we follow tradition instead of indulging every emotional outburst. Your mother met a terrible end. Unless you want the exact same thing to happen to you, you’ll stop this right now."

A cold paralysis locks my limbs in place, paralyzing me as the brutal reality of her threat sinks in. Argent combustion explodes outward from my core and cracks the ancient floorboards beneath my feet. "Don't you dare⁠—"

Estella raises her chin, every inch the matriarch passing judgment. "The bloodline demands better. You’ll learn control, or you’ll be contained."

"Contained?" My laugh is crude and bitter. "Like some rabid animal?"

"If necessary." The admission suffocates the room. It turns the remaining air into a definitive death sentence. My magic coils tighter while preparing to lash out again when Darius steps between us.

"That's enough." His response to the situation cuts through the tension with absolute command, making both of us pause. Carefully keeping his eyes off Estella, he addresses the room. "She is her own person, completely free of your containment."

Estella's eyebrows arch in surprise. "Mr. Morvane, I hired you to protect her, yet you’re actively enabling her destruction."

"I'm protecting her from you." Darius moves closer to me, his presence solid and grounding. "Right now, you're the threat."

The betrayal flickers across Estella's face before her usual severe composure returns. "She could level this entire estate if she loses control."

"Then it’s best to pull her back from that edge." Darius's eyes find mine, unwavering and calm. "You'll regret hurting her, Rene." The nickname lands like a spark—he hasn't used it since this morning, when he was busy calling last night a mistake. "She's still family, even if she's a manipulative one."

His words cut through the rage. The celestial blaze around us dims, my breathing gradually evening out. He's right—destroying Estella won't solve anything or undo twenty-nine years of lies.

"We should leave," Darius continues, his hand hovering near my elbow without quite touching. "Get some air and figure out next steps."

I nod and choose silence over speech. The fight drains out of me as quickly as it erupted, depositing exhaustion in its wake.

"This conversation isn't over," Estella calls as we head toward the door.

"Yes, it is. We're done playing by your rules."

The cool evening air hits my face as we step outside, and I gulp it down like someone surfacing from suffocating water. Darius keeps perfect speed with me all the way to the SUV, clinging to a heavy silence until we are both safely inside.

"You defended me against the woman who hired you." I barely recognize the small, fragile sound of my own voice.

His hands rest on the steering wheel, knuckles white with tension. "She was wrong."

A profound release echoes within me and shatters a protective emotional fortress I have carefully fortified since I was a little girl. He chose my side over his contract and the simple path of maintaining his distance.

For once in my life, someone put me first.

I plant my forehead against the cool glass of the passenger window and close my eyes. His hands stay locked on the wheel while neither of us says a word as the estate disappears behind us. But somewhere between the iron gates and the main road, my hand finds his forearm—only a brief touch, barely a second—before I snatch it back.

He remains perfectly steady, maintaining total composure as he keeps his attention on the road ahead.

That small victory is enough for now. "We're heading to a warehouse in the industrial district," Darius says quietly, steering us away from the estate. "Kellan is setting up a command center there. We need to regroup and figure out our next move."

16

DARIUS