The Library

Sebastian

T he last few weeks have been chaos. The kind of chaos that’s familiar, the kind that pulses through my blood like a dark tide, but this time, there’s something different. It’s not just about the assignments. It’s not just about the Society and the shadowy world I’ve always been a part of. It’s Lilith.

I watch her while she sleeps, her body still flush from our latest round of fucking. She’s everything I didn’t know I needed. But with her, there’s this added weight now, this constant edge of fear slicing through me. Not fear for myself—I’ve never been afraid of death. It’s always been a possibility. A reality. But now, the stakes are higher. I can’t lose her. And that’s a weakness I’ve never had to contend with before. She’s mine, and nothing will take her from me. But lately, I’m starting to wonder if I can keep that promise.

The Society has been… off. The external threats we’ve been dealing with are becoming more brazen, more dangerous. And the big assignment Ty and I handled a few weeks back—it stirred up a storm I wasn’t expecting. What we did was supposed to tie up loose ends, clean house. Instead, we might have lit the fucking fuse on something bigger.

My father hasn’t said it outright, but I know the tension in the air. He’s been quieter than usual, watching me with that scrutinizing gaze of his. Always calculating, always planning. He doesn’t trust anyone—not even me. And that’s why this is spiraling out of control.

Ty feels it too. I can see it in the way he carries himself. He’s more on edge, not just with work but with Anna. He’s more protective of her now, the way I am with Lilith. And I know he’s starting to feel the same weight—wondering if we can keep our girls safe from the storm we’ve set in motion.

I pull out of bed, careful not to wake Lilith as I stand, watching the first light of dawn filter through the curtains. She stirs slightly but stays asleep, her breath soft and even. My ring—the blood stone she gave me—catches the light, and it’s a reminder of the bond we’ve forged. A bond written in blood. She gave me a piece of herself in this ring, just as I gave her mine. We’re bound together now, and no matter how much danger circles us, nothing will break that bond. But that doesn’t mean the world won’t try.

Ty and I are due for another meeting with my father today, and it’s going to be brutal. The Society’s hierarchy has been shaken, and the vultures are circling. There’s infighting, whispers of disloyalty, and external threats pushing harder than ever before. What we did on that last job—it was supposed to silence the threats. Instead, it’s like we kicked a hornet’s nest, and now the whole thing’s about to blow.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand, and I grab it, reading Ty’s message.

We’ve got a problem. Meet me in thirty.

Of course, we do. There’s always a fucking problem.

I pull on my clothes, sliding a gun into the back of my jeans, and glance back at Lilith. She doesn’t know the full extent of what’s happening. I’ve kept her insulated from it. But I can feel the pressure building. Sooner or later, she’s going to have to understand what it means to be Mrs. Ashford. The blood, the violence, the inevitable destruction that comes with being tied to me. I just don’t know how much of it I can protect her from before it all crashes down around us.

When I meet Ty, his face is grim, his jaw set in that way I know means something’s gone sideways.

“They’re moving faster than we thought,” he says, not bothering with pleasantries. “The hit we took? It wasn’t the last. There’s more coming, and they’re not waiting for us to make the next move.”

I nod, my mind already calculating the fallout. The Society is built on power, on dominance. The moment someone thinks we’re slipping, they’ll pounce. And we’re slipping. There’s no denying that. “How bad?”

“Bad,” Ty says, his voice low. “There’s a new player in town. We don’t know who, but they’re targeting our men. Three of them were found dead last night.”

My blood runs cold. Whoever this new player is, they’re not fucking around. And the fact that they’re moving this quickly means they’ve been planning this for a long time.

“And our fathers?” I ask, knowing my father’s silence lately is more telling than any words.

“They know. But they’re waiting. Testing us, seeing how we handle it.”

Of course, they are. This is their way. Always has been. Pushing us to the brink, seeing if we can pull ourselves back.

I clench my jaw, feeling the familiar burn of anger in my gut. “We need to hit back. Hard. No more waiting.”

Ty nods. “I agree. But we can’t do it without their approval.”

I hate the fucking politics of the Society. The hierarchy. The waiting for someone else to give the green light when we should be out there, taking control. But that’s the world we live in. The world we’ve always lived in.

“Fine,” I say, my voice low and dangerous. “But when we do, we end this. No more loose ends.”

Ty smirks, his eyes gleaming with the same dark intensity I feel. “Agreed. It’s time to remind them who runs this shit.”

As we head out, my mind drifts back to Lilith. She’s still at home, probably sleeping, unaware of the storm brewing around us. But for how much longer? How much longer can I keep her out of this? She’s strong, but the world we live in—it devours the strong. I can’t let that happen to her. I won’t.

But as the threats close in, I can feel the inevitability of it all. She’s mine, and because of that, she’s in danger. It’s only a matter of time before someone tries to use her against me. And when that happens… not even god can help them. Because I’ll burn this entire fucking city to the ground before I let anyone touch her.

As Ty and I pull up to the meeting spot, I feel the weight of the bloodstone on my finger, a constant reminder of the bond Lilith and I share. The blood in that ring ties us together, but it also ties her to the darkness that surrounds me. And I’ll protect her from it at all costs.

But the storm is coming. And I don’t know if even I can stop it.