Rain pelted the city like it was mourning what was to come.
Inside the FBI's Manhattan field office, tension ran as thick as smoke. Director Reeves, a grizzled man with a sharp jaw and colder eyes, tapped the edge of the screen with a pen.
There she is, he said. Clair Johnson. Twenty-six. Registered nurse. No criminal history. But she's living with the most dangerous man in the northern hemisphere. And now she's carrying his heir.
Agent Wolfe folded his arms.
"You think she's just a bystander?"
"No", Reeves said. "I think she's a player who doesn't even know how dangerous she's become. And I don't like wild cards."
He turned to Elias, seated in the far corner like a shadow in human skin. His suit was pristine, his smirk irritatingly casual.
"You want him down," Elias said, "then give me full access to move as I see fit."
Reeves frowned." And do what?"
"Get close", Elias said. "You don't cage a lion with fences. You seduce the pride, then slit his throat".
Reeves hesitated.
"If you fail, we'll be cleaning up bodies for months".
"I don't fail," Elias replied.
At the compound, Clair sat on the balcony, her growing bump nestled beneath a warm wool blanket. Austin was inside, giving Daniel orders. She heard bits and pieces.
Freeze accounts. Move the art. Shift weapons to sector nine.
Clair rubbed her belly. Her thoughts swirled like a storm.
She had stood in front of the world. Declared her love. Declared war. Now the wolves were closing in.
And one of them already knew how to get in.
That night, as Austin was pulled into an emergency call, Clair returned to their bedroom to find a small black box on the bed.
Her heart skipped.
She opened it cautiously. Inside was a pair of blood-red earrings. No note. No fingerprint. Just a whisper of perfume.
She looked around. Doors locked. Guards posted.
But the earrings were real.
A shiver crawled down her spine.
She stormed into the security room.
"Check the cameras for the past hour. Every hallway."
Daniel pulled up the feed. They watched.
And then they saw her.
'Isadora.'
Flowing red gown. Smirking at the lens.
She had walked through the east wing with confidence, untouched, unseen. She had gotten into their home.
Clair turned to Daniel.
"How?"
"There's only one explanation."
"She has a mole inside."
Across the city, Isadora danced barefoot through her suite, glass in hand.
Clair's face was on the news again. And she looked radiant. Confident. A queen rising.
"How poetic", Isadora mused. "A healer now leads the killer."
She turned toward Elias, who was half-dressed on her velvet couch.
"Are you sure you're ready?" she asked.
He buttoned his shirt.
"It's not me who will seduce him."
She paused.
"You want me to do it."
He walked to her and brushed a thumb across her lips.
"He will only break if he tastes regret. You're the regret."
She chuckled darkly.
"So you want me to walk into the lion's den and distract him while you take the girl."
"Exactly."
She smiled, slow and dangerous.
"Then I want blood when it's done."
"You'll have it."
The next morning, Clair joined Austin in the strategy room.
"We have to flush the mole out", she said. "And we have to hit back hard."
Austin looked at her with a mix of admiration and unease.
"You're too calm," he said.
"I'm done panicking", she replied. "You trained me. Now I'm using it".
He leaned back.
"I can't lose you."
"Then don't lock me out", she said. "We fight together or not at all."
He nodded slowly.
"There's something else", she said. "I want to bait her."
Austin stiffened.
"No."
"She's already inside. She's playing with us. Let me draw her in."
He stood staring at her, then started pacing.
"You're carrying my child. You think I'll let you dangle like bait?"
"You said we don't hide anymore. I'm not glass, Austin. I'm steel."
Daniel cleared his throat.
"She's not wrong."
Austin turned to both of them.
"Fine. But I control the environment."
Two days later, Clair held a charity cooking class in downtown Manhattan. Cameras were invited. It was public, crowded, and press-covered.
Austin hated every second of it.
She stood in front of a massive counter lined with cupcakes, pastries, and cameras. Her face was glowing. The world fell in love with her again.
And that's when Isadora struck.
She entered the event without disguise, dressed in white silk, like a goddess reborn.
Clair saw her instantly.
The woman walked toward her slowly. No gun. No rush. Just power.
"Hello, Clair, she said sweetly."
People started to whisper. The air grew tense.
Security hovered, but Clair lifted a hand.
"Let her through."
Isadora stood across from her.
" I brought you a peace offering."
She handed her a small wrapped box.
Clair took it.
Inside was a blood-red baby onesie with the words Future King.
Cameras clicked. Reporters gasped.
Isadora leaned in close.
"He'll choose me again. He always does."
Clair didn't flinch.
"You left a corpse behind last time. This time I'll bury you with it."
Isadora smiled, sharp and wicked.
"Game on, nurse."
And with that, she vanished.
That night, back at the compound, Clair replayed the footage. Her skin crawled at Isadora's calm confidence.
Austin burst into the room.
"Are you insane? You let her near you?"
"I needed her to show herself", Clair said. "Now we have her voice. Her image. Her threat. On record. The world knows."
Austin clenched his fists.
"I should kill her myself."
"No. We're smarter than her. That's why we win."
Austin grabbed her face gently.
"You're not just strong. You're terrifying."
She smiled through the fear.
"So are you."
They kissed, passion igniting between them. It wasn't just love anymore. It was war. And survival.
Their hands tangled. Mouths hungry. The fire between them never dulled.
"I need you", Austin whispered against her skin.
"Then take me", she breathed.
And he did.
Every touch, every gasp, every pulse was a promise. Not just of love, but of defiance. She was his salvation, and he was her fire.
Afterward, they lay tangled in the sheets, her head on his chest, his fingers tracing circles across her back.
"She'll come again", Clair said softly.
"Then let her. This time, we're ready."
Far away, in a sleek penthouse overlooking the city, Elias made a call.
"She's in position. The nurse believes she's in control."
Reeves responded coldly.
"We're moving tonight. Warrants are in hand. If they resist, shoot on sight."
Elias hung up and turned to Isadora.
"Do you think they'll run?"
She laughed.
"They won't have time."
And the screen behind her lit up with a single word.
'WAR!'