Page 31 of Taken

The subtle emphasis makes his meaning clear. Is he threatening me? Or warning me?

“I appreciate your concern,” I reply. “But my interest is purely professional.”

His smile is thin. “I’m sure she will be relieved to hear it.”

Before I can respond, he continues past me down the corridor, leaving me with the unsettling sensation that more was exchanged in our conversation than mere words.

I watch him go, mind turning over the interaction. Did Cole just subtly threaten me? Or did he warn me that my interest in Lila has been noticed? Either way, the implications are troubling.

And beneath it all, the larger revelation pulses with urgency. The Syndicate is hunting the Heartstone and its missing Shard. If they get their hands on them, they’ll pretty much have ourentire species under their control. And they’ll kill Lila to get the information they need.

I need to get this intelligence to Viktor immediately. Someone near the Craven clan is working with the Heartstone—someone Lila is protecting fiercely enough to endure torture rather than reveal.

Someone worth killing for.

The mission parameters have shifted. The stakes just rose exponentially.

If Lila breaks and gives them what they want, we’re all in trouble.

Chapter 10

Lila

The vision comes without warning, sudden and violent.

I’m on my knees before I realize I’ve fallen, gasping as the Heartstone pulses in my mind’s eye. Not just crystal anymore—a crimson heart, beating with ancient power, pulsing with a rhythm that matches my own frantic heartbeat.

The room spins. Blood trickles from my nose, metallic on my tongue. No Hargen to catch me this time. No extraction equipment to channel the raw power.

Images barrel through my mind—flames licking up ancient stone walls. A dragon with scales like moonlight. Elena, grown and beautiful, surrounded by a vortex of crimson fire that consumes everything around her.

Then her face contorts in pain. Screaming. Blood-streaked hands reaching for help that isn’t coming.

“Elena!” Her name tears from my throat before I can stop it.

A sharp knock breaks through the vision haze. I ignore it, trying to crawl to the bathroom to clean the blood before whoever it is enters.

Too late.

The door slides open. Heavy footsteps cross the threshold. I keep my head down, hair falling forward to hide my face.

“Ms. Ross—” The voice cuts off abruptly. “Lila! You’re bleeding.”

Shit, shit, shit!

Allard Reeve. Of course it would be him.

I wipe my nose with the back of my hand, leaving a crimson streak across my skin. “Observant.”

He crouches beside me, too close. His scent fills my senses, warming me for some strange reason. “A vision?”

“Just a nosebleed.” I lie. I try to stand, but my legs betray me.

He catches my elbow, steadying me with a grip that’s firm but careful. Not the bruising hold of Syndicate guards. Something almost… gentle.

“Right. And I’m just a security guard.”

Our eyes meet. This close, I can see tiny lighter flecks in his green irises. Dragon eyes, but with something human lingering in their depths. Something dangerous. Because it draws me.

---