Inside the quiet, steel lined cabin, the air was thick with the scent of gun oil, leather, and ozone.
I sat near the hatch, stripped of the midnight blue silk gown. In its place, I wore a dark, tactical suit made of reinforced leather and kevlar flexible enough for a shift, yet tough enough to turn a knife. The twin silver daggers were strapped securely to my thighs, their familiar weight a grounding presence against the wild, frantic thumping of my heart.
Gideon stood by the table in the center of the cabin, reviewing the blueprint of High Ridge Lodge.
He wore a sleek, dark grey tactical gear that accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist. A heavy combat rifle was slung across his chest, and his dark hair was slightly damp from the rain outside.
"High Ridge Lodge sits on a nar
