Later, Xavier left the vampire castle with Reva, and they both went to the Midnight club to meet Angel, who was in her usual room she rented or perhaps owned.

Angel caught him the moment he stepped through the door. Her voice cut through the music as she marched toward him, hair bouncing, eyes locked on him like she was ready to swing if he tried anything stupid. Reva stayed close behind him, calm as always, though her gaze drifted around the room as if her nose had caught a scent she knew too well.

Xavier had spent some time in the room and inside Angel before he attacked the vampire castle. Although it had been a few days since then, no one else had entered the room except for Angel.

Angel planted herself in front of Xavier and jabbed a finger at his chest.

"Where the hell were you? You vanish for days, your damn phone goes dead, and I'm out here thinking you crashed into a sun. You went to the castle and then—nothing. No message. No call. Not even a damn ping."

The screen's light washed over Xavier's face as he pulled in a breath. He didn't bother trying to match her volume. He just lowered his head a bit, looked her straight in the eyes, and gave her the simple truth—well, the part he could share.

"I had an accident," he said. "Hover car's gone. Phone too. I've been trying to sort things out since then. I need a new phone… and a new ride. Something custom. Something with more bite."

Angel pressed her lips together, fury fading into worry. "Lilia and Lyra called me," she said. "They were looking for you. I told them you went to Reva's place. They freaked out when they couldn't reach you."

Xavier ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "I didn't plan for it to take this long," he said. He didn't go into the real story—the fight, the blood, the aftermath. He left all that buried. "I'll drop by my place first. In the meantime, I need you to set up a visit to the dealership. And get me a new phone."

Angel shifted her weight, still pissed but now focused. "Fine. I'll handle it."

Reva stepped in then, tilting her head toward Xavier. "I'll modify the system on the new phone."

Angel snorted. "She means she's gonna turn it into a spying device to keep an eye on you."

Reva didn't deny it. She was already pulling out her own device, fingers moving like she had the entire blueprint finished in her head.

They both got to work right there—Angel calling someone, and Reva sketching changes into a glowing holo-screen.

Xavier didn't linger.

He turned, walked out through the noise and lights, and stepped into the night. His bike sat exactly where he left it, dust clinging to the seat from days of being ignored. He swung a leg over, flicked the ignition, and the engine came alive with that rough rumble he liked.

The neon glow rolled across his visor as he pulled out onto the sky-lane, heading toward Nexus Tower and the apartment he hadn't seen since this whole mess began.

The hallway outside his door still held that same ambience, but the moment Xavier pushed the door open, the noise inside drowned everything else out.

The place looked like a storm had passed through. Clothes draped over the couch and the chair beside it. A half-empty carton of noodles sat on the table with chopsticks poking out like spears. A stack of plates leaning in the sink looked ready to give up and collapse. Blankets bunched on the floor near the balcony door. Someone's boots lay in the middle of the room for no reason at all.

Lilia stood near the kitchen counter with her arms folded. Lyra was beside her, and Viola lounged on the far end of the couch with her legs up, scrolling through something on her wrist screen.

All three of them turned when Xavier stepped inside. Their expressions matched his—wide-eyed, caught off guard. But Lyra's face tightened fast, something sharp burning there. She never raised her voice, never snapped at him, but right now her jaw stayed clenched like she was holding herself back.

Lilia let out a long breath. "You finally decided to show up."

Xavier shut the door behind him and took in the wreck of his own home. "What the hell happened here?"

"Before that," Lilia said, "you should know someone came here looking for you." Her tone softened, but only a little. "Lucian Blackwood."

Xavier blinked. For a heartbeat he thought he misheard her. "Blackwood? Here?"

"He walked right in," Lilia said. "Left this." She reached over to the table, grabbed the card resting there, and held it up between two fingers. "Said it was for you."

Xavier stepped closer, eyes locked on the card like it might explode. He'd spent nights digging through every corner of the net for something—anything—on Lucian Blackwood. The richest and the most powerful man in the city. The one who owned towers, fleets, banks, half the damn planet's trade lines. But Xavier found no dirt on him. Not a hint of corruption. Not a trace of the usual secrets. Clean to the point of unnatural.

He never trusted that. No one with that much weight behind their name could be spotless.

"Why was he here?" Xavier asked.

"For you," Lilia said. "He said he wants to meet you. And before you start doing something stupid—don't." She placed the card on his chest as if she was handing him a live weapon. "Don't mess with someone like him."

Xavier covered her hand with his and nodded. "I hear you."

He glanced around the trashed apartment again. "I'm taking a bath. Call someone and get this place cleaned before it starts growing things."

Lilia muttered something under her breath but reached for her phone.

Xavier headed for his room.

Viola rose from the couch without a sound and slipped after him, her footsteps soft behind his. When he stepped inside the room and turned around, she was already leaning on the doorframe like she belonged there.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She tilted her head. "I'm taking a bath too. We can go together."

He stared at her for a beat, then pointed at the door. "You have your own place. Go bathe there."

She pressed her lips into a small pout, but he didn't give her a chance to argue. He nudged her back out into the hallway and shut the door before she could slip a foot in.

Then he locked it, dropped the card on his desk, and exhaled for the first time since he had walked in.

"I don't want to make any more plans. I just have to get rid of Lucas in the engagement ceremony. That's all. But… why did Lucian Blackwood want to meet me? He must know that I got rid of all of Lucas' friends, so could it be that he… no…" Xavier shook his head.

"He would have harmed Lilia or Lyra if that was the case. Either way, it doesn't matter. Once I kill his son, he will be after my life, anyway."