Chapter 7 - Shadows in the Nursery and the Unseen ThreatThree weeks passed in absolute, undisturbed peace. The estate was completely secured, surrounded by a ring of high-tech surveillance and elite guards. Inside the mansion, Elena was slowly regaining her strength, spending her days bonding with her son, Alexander, under the watchful, protective eye of Adrian.
It was midnight. The house was dead silent, save for the soft tick of a grandfather clock in the downstairs hallway.
Elena woke up suddenly. Her heart was hammering against her ribs for no apparent reason, an instinctual primal panic washing over her veins. She turned her head toward the crib.
Alexander was fast asleep, his tiny chest rising and falling in steady rhythm.
She let out a soft breath, thinking it was just postpartum anxiety, when a faint sound echoed from the hallway outside the nursery door.
Click.
It wasn't the sound of a door handle turning. It was the distinct, unmistakable metallic click of a silenced firearm bolt sliding into place.
Elena froze. Every drop of blood drained from her face. The nursery door was locked from the inside, but the windows—the large, floor-to-ceiling windows leading to the private balcony—had been left slightly ajar to let in the spring air.
She slid silently out of bed, her bare feet making no sound against the hardwood floor. She crept toward the crib, gently lifting Alexander into her arms. The baby stirred, letting out a tiny squeak before settling back into deep sleep.
She turned toward the balcony doors just as the heavy velvet curtains billowed inward.
A dark, masked figure stepped out of the shadows of the balcony, holding a heavy-caliber pistol fitted with a long suppressor. The moonlight caught the cold, metallic gleam of the weapon as the intruder stepped into the nursery.
"Don't move," a raspy, distorted voice hissed through a voice modulator. "Hand over the child, and you walk away. Make a sound, and you both die right here."
Elena’s mind raced with terrifying speed. Security was supposed to be impenetrable. How did someone get past the perimeter?
"Who sent you?" Elena demanded, her voice shaking despite her desperate attempt to sound brave. "Damon is in federal prison! There’s no one left!"
"You think the Cross family was the only power in Montana, little bird?" the intruder laughed softly, taking a slow step forward, raising the barrel of the gun directly toward her chest. "Drop the kid and get on your knees."
Elena backed up until her spine hit the heavy oak nursery door, her arms tightening around Alexander like a shield. She closed her eyes for a split second, praying for a miracle.
And the miracle answered.
The nursery door behind her suddenly flew inward, splintering off its hinges with a deafening crash that shook the entire room.
Before the intruder could turn around, a massive dark shape launched itself from the hallway like a furry cannonball. The black guard dog slammed directly into the gunman's chest, sinking its jaws into the intruder's forearm with a bone-crunching snap.
May you like
The gun fired wildly, the bullet embedding harmlessly into the ceiling plaster as the intruder screamed in agony.
A second later, Adrian stepped through the shattered doorway. His face was a mask of absolute, demonic fury. He didn't carry a gun; he didn't need one. He crossed the room in two strides, grabbed the intruder by the throat with one hand, and lifted the man two feet off the ground with terrifying, crushing strength.
