Chapter 20 - The New QueenWhen he kissed her, it was like a match striking dry kindling.
It was fierce, demanding, and entirely consuming.
Elena kissed him back, letting go of the cold discipline she had maintained for years.
In his arms, she found an anchor, a place where her violent past was an asset, not a curse.
They broke apart, both of them breathing heavily.
Cassian rested his forehead against hers, a triumphant smile on his face.
"So, partner," he whispered.
"What is our next move?"
Elena turned back to the security monitors, her sharp eyes scanning the perimeter of their shared empire.
"We fortify the western gate," she ordered smoothly.
"And then we send a message to the rest of the cartels."
Cassian stood beside her, his hand resting securely on the small of her back.
"What kind of message?" he asked.
"That Blackwood Manor is impenetrable," she declared.
"And that anyone who tests us will drown in their own blood."
Cassian Thorne laughed, knowing he had found his perfect queen.
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The silent maid was gone forever.
Elena Rostova, the deadliest woman in the underworld, had finally come home.
