The flickering candlelight cast long shadows across the chamber, the air thick with unspoken tension. Lucius studied Nyx, his mind racing. He had known she was dangerous, but he hadn’t expected her to be working this close to him, hidden within the shadows of his own world.

  Cassia leaned against the stone wall, her expression unreadable. “You need warriors, Lucius. You need people who won’t hesitate to do what must be done. Nyx is one of those people.”

  Lucius folded his arms, his voice measured. “And why should I trust you, Nyx?”

  Nyx smirked. “You shouldn’t.”

  Silence stretched between them before she stepped forward, the dim light highlighting the sharp angles of her face. “I don’t serve Rome. I don’t serve the Senate. I serve power. And right now, you have the potential to tip the scales.”

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  Lucius exhaled, his mind already working through the possibilities. He had spent years surviving in a city that devoured the weak. He knew better than to turn away an asset like Nyx.

  “Then prove your worth,” he said finally. “I have an enemy who needs to disappear before the Senate session at dawn. Can you do it?”

  Nyx grinned. “Consider it done.”

  She turned on her heel, disappearing into the night, leaving Lucius alone with Cassia. He glanced at her, noting the way she watched him with quiet intensity.

  “You trust her?” he asked.

  Cassia shrugged. “I trust that she wants to survive. And right now, survival means keeping you alive.”

  Lucius let out a slow breath, feeling the weight of the coming war settle onto his shoulders.

  “The Senate will not stop,” he murmured.

  Cassia stepped closer, her voice softer now. “Then make sure they regret ever standing against you.”

  She reached out, her fingers brushing against his wrist—a brief, unexpected moment of trust. Lucius met her gaze, seeing something in her eyes he hadn’t noticed before.

  Loyalty.

  For the first time in a long while, he wasn’t standing alone against the storm.

  And he intended to use every weapon at his disposal to ensure his survival.