THE CONTRACT (The Chosen Series #2)

TAKE MY BREATH AWAY

"Is that your way of telling me that I'm hot?" I joke, giving Damir's arm a playful pat.

"Certainly," Damir replies, his tone dry, but a slight quirk in his lips suggests he's enjoying our banter.

"So, where's the Tyrant?" I ask, wondering why Damir has come alone.

"Alexei and Sebastian were called away."

"And?" I press, eager for more details when Damir gives me a blank look. I shoot him my best stink eye.

Sighing, Damir glances over at Isla, who is still engrossed in exploring, then turns back to me. "There was an incident at the office. Alexei and Sebastian are investigating."

The "office" is another term for Alexei's headquarters. Twelve stories high with several subbasements, it's located in the city, just a block away from his penthouse, and is heavily warded. Used as a meeting/workplace for the community, each faction has its own floor, with the top two dedicated to Alexei.

"Wanna elaborate?" I prod. Damir knows that I'll be Alexei's significant other in a few short months, granting me certain privileges, such as being informed of potential threats.

"We suspect there was an intruder."

"An intruder? Where?"

Damir, still watching Isla, who seems completely oblivious to our conversation, shakes his head. "We're not sure. Whoever it was, they were skilled, almost undetectable. If they hadn't attempted to access the Vault, we might never have known."

"The Vault?" Damn! The Vault sits right in the heart of the top floor, inside Alexei's office. Heavily warded by both magic and technology, it's the size of a room and houses the community's most prized possessions, not to mention its secrets. "Did they steal anything?"

"Not as far as Alexei can determine," Damir replies, his fists clenched, his anger evident.

"They're already there?" The office is hours away.

"They commandeered the Bell." The Bell is one of Alexei's private helicopters and a favorite of his.

"Figures. So why did he leave you here?" It's surprising that he chose to take Bass with him instead of Damir. Bass, though close, still poses a potential threat to Alexei's empire if he chooses to be. After a moment, noticing Damir's gaze drifting back to Isla, I nod. "He trusts you with us."

Damir returns my nod, offering a small knowing smile. Alexei's smart to recognize that leaving Bass alone here with Isla could lead to an unwanted territorial conflict. Bass has never been known to take no for an answer.

"Erin, Alexei has asked me to convey his apologies and request that you and Isla return to the West Wing and remain there until tomorrow evening." I arch a brow, waiting for Damir to continue. If Alexei is making such a request, there's more to the situation. "Despite nothing being stolen, we're aware that several other leaders are arriving early and will be heading to the Manor within the next 24 hours."

"Do we know who's here?" I inquire, hoping it might be Jai or one of the new arrivals.

Meeting my gaze with his coal-dark eyes, Damir's clenched jaw tells me it's not good news. "All of them, Erin. They're all here."

Fuck!

**********************************************

For the rest of the day and evening, Isla retreated to the Library, while I lost myself in one of my many LJ Shen books—those Boston bad boys always get my blood pumping.

By 7:30 PM, with Alexei and Bass still absent, I asked Grigor to have Cook prepare some burgers and bring them to the sitting room. Isla devoured her meal before heading back to the Library for more research.