The rain over Seattle didn’t fall so much as it drowned the city, sweeping off Puget Sound in icy sheets that rattled the glass windows of the emergency transport van.

Damian strode into the foyer like a hurricane, his black coat flying behind him, his hand already resting on the handle of his gun beneath his jacket. Marcus had clearly radioed him the second Victoria’s Rolls-Royce crossed the gate.

"Mother," Damian growled, his voice vibrating through the cedar beams of the ceiling. He stepped directly between Victoria and me, his massive frame creating an impenetrable wall. "Who gave you permission to set foot on this island?"

Victoria didn't flinch, though her posture stiffened slightly under her son's terrifying glare.

"I don't require permission to visit my son, Damian," she replied smoothly, folding her gloved hands over her designer handbag. "Nor do I require permission to see the heir to the Cross estate."

"She is not an 'heir'," Damian snapped, his eyes flashing with lethal anger. "She is my daughter. And if you step within five feet of my wife again, I will have Marcus escort you off this property in handcuffs."

"Damian, stop," I said quietly, reaching around his arm to place my hand on his forearm.

The effect was instantaneous. The terrifying storm in Damian’s eyes dissipated the moment my skin touched his. He turned his head, looking down at me with concern.

"Did she threaten you?" he asked under his breath.

"No," I replied, offering him a small, reassuring smile. "We were just finishing our conversation."

I looked past Damian at Victoria, whose eyes were fixed on the way Damian had instantly yielded to my touch. A look of profound, silent realization dawned in the older woman's eyes. She realized what Noah Reed had realized—that I held Damian’s absolute heart. But unlike Noah, Victoria was smart enough to recognize when a war was already lost.

"I did not come here to threaten anyone, Damian," Victoria said, her tone dropping its icy sharpness, becoming strangely subdued. "I came because the Family Council in Virginia has called an emergency meeting for next Tuesday."

Damian’s jaw tightened. "The Council has no authority over my operations in Seattle."

"They do when Julian Cross claims you’ve lost control," Victoria revealed.

I caught the name instantly. Julian Cross. Damian’s estranged cousin—the man who controlled the eastern shipping routes out of Baltimore and Miami.

"Julian claims that Noah Reed's death was a sign of structural collapse in your syndicate," Victoria continued, watching Damian closely. "He has formally petitioned the board to seize control of the Pacific Northwest logistics network. He claims you are mentally incapacitated by your... domestic situation."

Damian let out a cold, dark laugh that sent a chill through the room.

"Julian wants my territory?" Damian asked softly. "The man who couldn't even keep the federal prosecutors out of his Baltimore docks wants to take Seattle from me?"

"He has the backing of four board members, Damian," Victoria warned. "They believe you’ve gone soft. They believe that because you haven't executed the traitorous families in Vancouver, you are no longer fit to hold the crown."

Damian stepped past me, walking up to his mother until he towered over her.

"Tell Julian," Damian whispered, his voice dangerously low, "that if he wants my crown, he can come to Seattle and try to take it off my head himself. But he should make sure his affairs in Baltimore are settled first... because he won't be returning to them."

Victoria stared at her son for a long moment. Then, to my absolute shock, a small, subtle nod of approval touched her lips.

"Very well," Victoria said. She turned her eyes toward me, offering a stiff, brief inclination of her head. "Good day, Elena. You carry yourself far better than I anticipated."

Without another word, Victoria turned on her heel and swept out of the front doors, her silver hair gleaming in the sunlight as her chauffeur opened the car door.

Damian watched the Rolls-Royce drive down the gravel driveway until it disappeared past the pine trees.

Then, he turned around and pulled both me and Maya into a tight, fierce embrace.

"Are you all right?" he asked into my hair.

"I'm fine, Damian," I smiled, leaning into his warmth. "In fact... I think I actually enjoyed that."

Damian pulled back, looking at me with a mixture of awe and disbelief before bursting into a rare, booming laugh that echoed through the entire house.