Ilode was loaded into the second SUV under heavy guard.
Casius secured the restraints himself—efficient, professional, silent. No ceremony. No cruelty. Alina sealed the door and locked it, eyes never leaving the darkened glass as the engine settled into a low, ready idle.
Talia stood a few feet away, her gaze fixed on the vehicle.
“You’re safe from the crowd,” Lucian said quietly at her side. “For now.”
Talia didn’t look at him. “Safe isn’t the same as free.”
Lucian’s hand slid to the small of her back—steady, grounding. “We have her.”
Before Talia could answer, the alarms screamed again.
Not the palace alarm.
This one was sharper. Local. Immediate.
Red strobes mounted on the council outpost flared to life, cutting through the smoke and dawn. A second siren joined it—then a third—
