The air inside the armored SUV was suffocatingly quiet, a thick, pressurized capsule moving slowly through the pitch-black night. Outside the reinforced bulletproof windows, the neon lights of the city skyline were fading into the distance, replaced by the jagged, unforgiving silhouettes of the old-growth pine forests that lined the mountain pass. The vehicle climbed higher and higher, winding its way up the steep, narrow roads that led to the city's ancient, forgotten outskirts.
I sat rigidly against the dark leather seat, my hands resting folded in my lap. The midnight-blue silk of my gown felt heavy against my legs, its cool texture a sharp contrast to the white-hot adrenaline currently singing through my veins. On my right hand, the antique platinum ring Julian had given me felt like
