Smoke wrapped around Selene’s face as she stepped through the wreckage, glass crunching under her heels. Velvet Vice smoldered at her feet, a ghost of what it once was. The blood-slick envelope stayed clenched in her trembling grip, the carved bone inside digging into her palm like a threat straight from hell.
Darius stood behind her, silent. His shirt was torn, his left side of his head bleeding, but he didn’t make a sound. Just watched her. Like he was waiting for her to break.
She didn’t.
Selene turned to him, eyes flat. “This wasn’t just a message. This was personal.”
His jaw tightened. “It’s a declaration of war.”
“No,” she said coldly. “It’s a reminder.”
He raised a brow. “Of what?”
She opened the envelope again, pulling out the bone. The carving was fresh, angry. Letters scor
