Chapter 267: Chapter 267 The Last Stand II

Liam nodded, his expression tightening as he stepped fully into the room. “Where are you going?”

Lilith clipped the last holster onto her thigh and looked back at him, eyes narrowed with purpose. “Silverpine Junction,” she said simply.

Liam’s brow raised. “That’s thirty minutes away… driving.”

She nodded, tightening the straps of her gloves. “Exactly.”

“That’s too slow,” Liam said without missing a beat, his voice low. “I’ve got a better way.”

Lilith paused mid-step and tilted her head slightly, one hand still fixing a strap around her chest. “Hmm?” she let out softly, curious but skeptical. “You’ve got a better way to get across the city than my car?”

Without another word, Liam turned around and made his way toward the glass balcony door. He unlocked them and slid the door open, letting the cold wind whip into the room. The breeze rushed past them, stirring her loose strands of golden hair as he stepped out onto the marble-tiled balcony.

Lilith followed him slowly. “Liam,” she said with a light smirk, “don’t tell me you’re thinking of jumping.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder with a faint grin tugging at his lips. “No,” he said. “Something better.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she stepped closer to him. “Better?”

Liam turned to her fully now, his voice calm. “Step on my boots.”

Lilith blinked. “What?”

“Just trust me.”

After a moment of hesitation, she gave a slow, reluctant smirk—one mixed with doubt—and carefully stepped one foot, then the other, onto the tops of his black boots. Her body was now pressed lightly against his. She reached forward instinctively to balance herself, her hands resting against his chest.

Then Liam will shake his head as he will turn her around so that her back was now against his chest.

Then he wrapped his arms around her waist, firm and secure.

“Hold tight,” he said, his voice soft and deep.

And then she felt it.

A sudden gust of wind blasted past them.

With a powerful rush, two massive white wings burst out of Liam’s back—bright, feathered, and almost glowing.

Lilith’s eyes went wide.

“What the—” she gasped. Her usually unreadable face was now filled with awe.

“You never told me you could do this!” she said in disbelief.

“You never asked,” Liam replied, and before she could say another word, he gave one mighty beat of his wings.

FWOOOSH!

They shot straight into the sky, the rooftop vanishing beneath their feet in an instant. The sudden elevation caught Lilith off guard and her hands gripped tighter onto him as the city blurred below. She wasn’t scared—Lilith never got scared—but her breath hitched at the rush, the sheer force of speed cutting through the wind.

Liam held her tighter, instinctively adjusting for her weight as he sliced through the air. He moved fast, but not too fast—he could’ve doubled his speed, but the wind pressure would’ve made it hard for her to breathe.

So instead, he angled himself lower and glided above the city rooftops, dipping through the open air like a hawk hunting in silence. From below, no one could see them. The only thing left behind was a faint whistle of the breeze and a glint of white that disappeared too quickly to be followed.

Lilith finally relaxed, her voice calmer now. “I can’t believe this…” she whispered, watching the city shrink beneath her. “This is insane…”

“You’ll get used to it,” Liam muttered with a grin.

She glanced sideways at him. “You have no idea how much I hate that you’re full of surprises.”

“You’ll live.”

“Not if you drop me.”

“Would never.”

Their conversation drifted into silence as Liam focused forward, the buildings thinning out now as they approached the outer districts of the city. Fields and trees began replacing high-rises. He followed the directions she had given—her words still fresh in his mind—and within minutes, they reached it.

A small compound, reinforced but modest, hidden by trees at the edge of a low valley—Silverpine Junction.

Liam banked right, then dove low.

The trees whipped past them like green streaks. Lilith instinctively ducked her head as branches snapped near, and Liam flared his wings once to slow the descent. His legs bent slightly and his body adjusted to the downward force.

With a few gentle wingbeats, he steadied them and descended with full control.

His boots touched down with a soft thud against the gravel, his wings spread wide to absorb the final impact.

Lilith blinked rapidly as the wind died down.

The moment they landed, Liam gently set her down on the ground, retracting his wings back into his body in a slow, fluid motion. The air went still again.

She took one step back and looked at him.

She didn’t say a word at first—just looked.

“Damn,” she finally said with a hushed breath, brushing a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “That was… something else.”

Liam cracked his neck once, then adjusted his jacket. “So what are we doing here?”

Lilith stepped through the heavy brush and thick trees, her black tactical outfit almost blending into the shadows around them. The moonlight barely pierced the forest canopy above, and the distant sound of owls and insects filled the cool night air. Liam followed her silently, his boots crunching over dry leaves and twigs.

“This,” Lilith said as she came to a halt beside a camouflaged trapdoor embedded in the ground, “is where I hide my most valuable stuff.”

Liam arched a brow as he slowed beside her. “Most valuable stuff… like what?”

Lilith glanced at him, expression unreadable. “Valuable stuff,” she repeated flatly.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. “What valuables?”

She shifted, looking away as though dodging the question. “I’ll tell you when I have time.”

Liam didn’t stop. He took a step closer to her. His voice dropped low and firm, the kind that didn’t ask—it commanded. “Tell me now.”

Lilith turned her face back toward him with a sharp edge in her gaze. “You do know I’m superior to you, right?”

“No, you’re not,” Liam replied calmly, he didn’t understand why she suddenly brought superior matters in, still approaching. His steps were steady, deliberate. He wasn’t backing down—not this time.

Lilith held her ground, arms crossed, her jaw tight. “I’m your boss, Liam. And I’m giving you an order.”

Liam didn’t even flinch. “What order?”

“Stop talking and help me defend this place,” she snapped.

But Liam didn’t move the way she wanted. He kept walking until he stood directly in front of her, their faces only inches apart. His voice came low again, more controlled, more cutting. “No.”

Her brows furrowed deeply. The tension between them could slice bark off a tree.

She stepped back a little, her voice rising. “Remember what you told me when you joined?”

Liam blinked, pausing. He remembered. Every word.

“I told you,” he began quietly, “that I’d take care of the Crimson Hand. That you’d offer protection in return… and I’d be there whenever you needed me.”

Lilith nodded. “Exactly. And now I’m asking—no, demanding—that you stay and help protect what I’ve built. Because I’m losing everything, Liam.”

Liam looked at her, not with anger, but confusion growing into disbelief.

Then her words cut through the night like a dagger.

“Tell me, Liam…” she said, her voice sharper now, accusing. “What exactly have you done since you joined us?”

He blinked. His breath caught for half a second. He stared at her—really stared—and what he saw made something shift behind his eyes.

His voice cracked the silence, layered in disbelief.

“What have I done?!”

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