Forbidden Bloodline

Chapter 2: The Shadow Shield

Gideon pov

I slammed my hand down on the red command button on the security console.

A loud, mechanical alarm blared through the halls of Oakhaven Manor. On the wall of security screens in front of me, I watched heavy steel shutters drop over every single window and door on the estate. The iron gates at the entrance locked with a powerful magnetic seal that would take a tank to break.

The lockdown was absolute. Nobody was getting in.

More importantly, nobody was getting out.

I leaned heavily against the cold steel of the console, dropping my head between my shoulders as I tried to catch my breath. My chest felt tight, and my blood ran hot. I closed my eyes, but all I could see was her. Seraphina.

If a man put his hands on what is mine tonight...

The words I had whispered to her in the dark foyer completely broke my duty, but I couldn't take them back. My hands were still shaking from how hard it was not to pull her into my arms and ruin everything right there against the oak door.

Nine years. For nine years, I had honored a blood oath to a dead man. When Julian Montclair realized he was marked for death, he didn't trust the police. He didn't trust his wife. He trusted me. He begged me to be Seraphina’s shadow, her shield, and her legal guardian until she was old enough to take over his empire.

I was supposed to protect her from the monsters in the dark. I was never supposed to become one of them.

At thirty-six years old. A former military commander who built his entire life on cold, unbreakable discipline. Yet, every single time she looked at me with those defiant, violet-gray eyes, my discipline broke into a million pieces. She was my brother's daughter. She was forbidden by every law of nature and society. But the dark, twisted obsession in my gut didn't care about the law. I didn't just want to keep her safe. I wanted to possess her completely.

"Boss."

Hamish’s voice cracked over the radio on my chest, snapping me out of my dangerous thoughts.

"Report," I barked, looking back at the glowing security screens.

"We have a problem at the main gate," Hamish said tightly. "Scotland Yard. Detective Inspector Maeve O'Riordan. She’s flashing a badge and demanding entry. Says it concerns Beatrice Montclair."

I swore quietly under my breath. The police were the last people I wanted inside my walls right now. But turning away a lead detective during a missing persons crisis would only give them an excuse to return with a battering ram.

"Let her through the outer gate," I ordered. "Bring her to the main drawing room. Do not let her speak to anyone until I get there."

"Copy that."

I looked up at the center monitor. It showed the grand drawing room. Seraphina was already in there. She had dropped her leather jacket on the sofa and was pacing back and forth across the rug, her arms crossed tight over her chest. She looked small, terrified, and far too beautiful in the harsh security lighting.

My jaw tightened. I adjusted my suit jacket, locked away the raging beast inside my chest, and walked out of the control room.

When I opened the heavy double doors to the drawing room, the air was already thick with tension.

Detective Maeve O'Riordan stood in the center of the room. She wore a wet, cheap trench coat that smelled like old coffee and rain. Her sharp green eyes tracked Seraphina like a hawk watching a rabbit.

"I am just asking for a simple timeline, Miss Montclair," Maeve said sharply. "Your mother vanishes, leaving behind a bloody scarf in her room, and you are out drinking in Soho until two in the morning?"

Seraphina stopped pacing, her face draining of all color. "A bloody scarf? What are you talking about? No one told me there was blood."

"Detective." My voice cracked through the room like a whip.

Both women snapped their heads toward me.

I walked slowly into the room, my boots making no sound on the thick rug. I didn't look at Maeve. My eyes were locked entirely on Seraphina. I could see her hands trembling and the raw fear in her eyes. Seeing her scared triggered a violent, protective instinct deep in my chest.

"Mr. Montclair," Maeve said, turning to face me. "I was just asking your niece a few standard—"

"You are not asking her anything," I interrupted, stepping directly between them.

I used my height and broad shoulders to completely block Maeve from seeing Seraphina. I towered over the detective, looking down at her with a stare cold enough to freeze water.

"This is a formal missing persons investigation, Gideon," Maeve warned, stepping forward. "I don't need your permission to speak to the family."

"In this house, you absolutely do," I replied quietly and dangerously. "You do not ambush a twenty-three-year-old girl in the middle of the night with unverified crime scene details. If you have questions, you ask me. If you look at her again with that accusing tone, I will have your badge stripped and your career ended before the sun comes up."

Maeve’s jaw clenched. She knew I wasn't bluffing. I had the money and power to destroy her life with one phone call.

Behind me, I felt a slight, hesitant touch against my spine.

It was Seraphina.

She had stepped closer, hiding in my shadow, and pressed her small hand against the center of my back. The heat of her palm burned straight through my shirt and jacket, sending a shockwave through my body. It was a simple touch, but it meant everything. She was seeking my protection. She was leaning on me.

I reached behind my back and wrapped my large hand around hers, tangling our fingers together where Maeve couldn't see. Seraphina let out a shaky breath, holding onto me tighter. My thumb stroked her knuckles in a silent promise: I've got you. I will kill anyone who tries to hurt you.

"Fine," Maeve said bitterly, pulling a notepad from her pocket. "Beatrice Montclair missed a high-profile charity dinner tonight. Her staff found her suite in a total mess. Signs of a struggle. A broken mirror. We are treating this as an abduction."

"Who has claimed responsibility?" I asked coldly, refusing to let go of Seraphina's hand.

"No one," Maeve said, her eyes darting between my face and the space behind me. "Which is why I am looking at the family. The Montclair empire is worth billions. With Beatrice out of the way, who inherits control of the board?"

"Get out of my house, Detective," I ordered softly.

"I'll be back, Gideon," Maeve warned, shoving her notepad away. "With a warrant. Do not try to move her out of London."

Maeve turned and marched out of the room. Hamish immediately followed her to escort her off the property.

The heavy doors clicked shut. We were alone again.

I finally released Seraphina's hand and turned to face her. She looked up at me, her violet-gray eyes wide and full of tears. The tough attitude she had shown in the foyer was completely gone.

"Gideon..." she whispered, her voice breaking. "Is my mother dead?"

I couldn't lie to her. I stepped closer, closing the distance between us. I lifted my hand, hesitating for a second before I gently cupped her face. Her skin was soft, and she leaned into my palm immediately, letting out a small sob.

"I don't know, Sera," I murmured gently, my thumb wiping away a tear. "But I swear on my life, I will not let anything happen to you.

Before she could answer, the encrypted phone in my pocket buzzed violently.

I cursed silently and dropped my hand from her face. Losing contact with her made an ache bloom in my chest. I pulled the phone out and put it to my ear.

"Gideon," a panicked voice said on the other line. It was Arthur Penhaligon, the head of our legal team.

"Tell me," I said.

"It's a disaster," Arthur rushed out, breathing heavily. "The corporate board just held an emergency midnight vote. With Beatrice missing, they are using a mental stability clause against Seraphina."

The blood in my veins turned to ice. "Explain."

"They are claiming the trauma makes her unfit to manage her father's shares," Arthur said. "They are filing an emergency order with a corrupt judge. Gideon, they aren't waiting for an investigation. They are coming to place Seraphina under state control."

I looked at Seraphina, who was watching my face with growing terror.

"When?" I asked, my voice dangerously hollow.

"The judge signs the order at 6:00 AM," Arthur said. "By sunrise, they will have the legal right to enter Oakhaven, strip you of your guardianship, and take her away. And Gideon... if they take her, we both know she will end up dead just like her father."