The moment the Supreme Leader rose from his seat, the entire banquet seemed to tilt around him. Laughter faltered. Eyes shifted. Conversations died mid-sentence. His presence demanded silence without asking for it, and when he finally reached down and tugged Nine to his feet by the collar, something in my chest locked into place.
It was time.
Nine stood, his limbs obedient and loose, like a doll being moved by invisible strings. His hair was still damp with sweat and wine, sticking to his cheeks in soft strands. His eyes, dull under the lights, flicked up just once—to me.
Just a flicker. But I caught it.
Be ready, I told him through the bond, sending the words like threads of warmth. It's almost over.
He didn't reply, not with words. But the bond pulled tight, trembling with that raw, fragile trust I had no business asking for. Still—he gave it.
The Supreme Leader didn't spare me a glance. He was too busy chuckling to one of the foreign dignitaries, making a comment I didn't catch, something vulgar that made the men around him laugh again. He dragged Nine behind him like a trophy, one hand still casually gripping the back of Nine's neck, thumb stroking his nape like one might soothe a favorite pet.
I didn't move.
Not yet.
The ballroom was still full. The guests had started drinking more heavily now, sinking into the lull of drunken ease. That was good. I needed them relaxed. I needed them distracted.
Kol was already in place. I'd caught his eyes twenty minutes ago and given him the signal. Kade was still lingering near the back doors, alert and tense, guarding the hallway that led to the secured wing. Everything was lining up. The countdown had begun.
I waited for the Supreme Leader and Nine to disappear through the far exit, then let another beat pass. Just enough time to ensure the cameras watching that hallway had gone to their fifteen-minute blind interval. We'd memorized the schedule for a reason.
I tapped twice on my earpiece, and Kol's voice crackled through.
"He's out of sight. I'm moving."
The signal had been given.
I stood slowly, ignoring the slight rush of dizziness from how long I'd been holding myself still. The banquet lights cast everything in gold and crimson—ironic, really. I suspected they'd be seeing real red soon.
Kade? I asked through the link we shared.
He answered instantly. All secured. Guards neutralized. The hybrids are safe.
My breath left me in a slow exhale. Good. Stay with them. No matter what happens, don't let anyone near the holding wing.
Understood.
I moved toward the back corner of the room where the emergency panel was hidden behind a display shelf. No one noticed me—why would they? I was just the pretty soldier girl the Supreme Leader liked to keep around. Pretty things didn't make noise. They didn't command armies. They didn't overthrow tyrants.
But I was going to.
I pulled the small remote from my pocket. Just a simple black transmitter with a single button in the center. Kol had already accessed the facility's PA system, patched my pre-recorded voice into the feed, and programmed it to trigger the creatures' conditioning.
It was all riding on this.
Nyx?
Here, she whispered, low and feral. They're listening. They're waiting.
I looked at the countdown on my watch. One minute.
Somewhere down the hall, I imagined the Supreme Leader laughing. I imagined him trailing his fingers through Nine's hair, maybe remarking on how soft it felt. I imagined Nine kneeling again, afraid to flinch. Afraid to hope.
I clenched my fingers around the remote.
You ready? I asked the creatures—not with words, but with the layered thread of dominance and command they'd grown to respond to over the last few weeks.
And I felt them. Stirring. Rising. Hundreds of them, silent in the dark.
Waiting for me.
I pressed the button.
The speakers clicked on.
My voice poured out, soft and sure: "Run."