Chapter 38

Eliana's eyes slid over to Sean, her expression unreadable.

Bruising had puffed his face until he was hardly recognizable.

Still, there was something in his gaze-an intensity she'd never seen before.

"Forget about me and get out. Leave now," urged Sean.

With a calm tone, Eliana said, "There's no way I could explain it to Mom if you die here."

"Tell her I ran off," Sean said. "I never listened to her.I caused the most trouble and pulled the most pranks.She will believe it."

"That is enough!" Flint exclaimed. He had been ignored long enough. "Take the woman. I've been grilling him all night-time for a little entertainment."

"Got it!" members of the Fist Guild answered at once,and they moved in without giving Eliana a second thought.

Two at the front reached for her arms. They never got the chance to touch her. Eliana's foot lashed out, and both were sent sprawling, crashing hard against the floor.

That burst of speed and strength stunned everyone for a heartbeat.

Flint narrowed his eyes as a thought clicked. How had she slipped into here with guards at every door?

He did not get the chance to piece it together when a sharp smell hit him.

Several members suddenly went limp and dropped to the floor in an instant.

"Everyone, hold your breath! The air's poisoned!"Flint's voice ripped through the room, his collar pressed tight over his nose and mouth as he barked the warning.

The warning came far too late. Bodies were already scattered across the floor, half a dozen in total, and the rest clung to the walls, their knees buckling as if the strength had been drained from them.

"Don't just stand there-get that window open!" Flint commanded,his voice cracking with urgency.

One man rushed forward, boots pounding against the floor. Before he could close the distance, Eliana caught him by the collar and drove her elbow hard into his head,dropping him in an instant.

A second man made it through and shoved the window wide.

The scene outside froze him-people lay scattered across the ground, every single one unconscious.

"They're all down, Mr. Moore!" he called, fear rattling his words.

"I can see that," Flint answered, voice clipped and cold. His eyes fixed on Eliana, and in that instant, he knew she was something far more dangerous than she appeared.

"Take her down! Anyone who brings this woman in will earn the rank of second-in-command of the guild!"

The shout from Flint lit a fire under the few men still standing, and they rushed at Eliana with wild determination.

Tied to the chair, Sean slumped against the ropes drifting toward unconsciousness, yet his dimming eyes still caught sight of Eliana defeating the guild's core fighters one after another.

His mind pulled him back to that day she had returned, when she'd wrenched his arm out of its socket with an ease that made it feel like child's play.

Back then, he'd chalked it up to being unprepared

Now the truth slammed into him. Even if he poured every ounce of strength into the fight, he would never match her.

How was it possible? She had always been the quiet woman tending her fields far from the noise of the world, right? How could she be so invincible? The thought left him bewildered.

But he didn't have time to ponder further as the poison took its toll, and he fainted completely.

Across the room, Eliana finished with Flint's last subordinate.

She stepped over the groaning man without a pause,closing the distance between herself and Flint.

Flint instinctively backed away, eyes darting. "Who...Who are you?"

Her gaze slid to Sean's limp body, and a faint smile tugged at her lips. "Tell me, Flint... have you ever heard of the Onyx Syndicate?"

Flint's breath hitched, and recognition flared in his stare. "Onyx Syndicate... You're Hertha from the Onyx Syndicate..."

Eliana closed the distance with steady,unhurried steps and said, "You've at least got the sense to see what's in front of you. Not long ago, your men laid hands on mine, and today you dared to harm my brother. So tell me, Flint-how do you think I should settle this score?"

The heavy haze of poison had thinned, letting the air clear enough to breathe.

Flint yanked the cloth from his face and tossed aside his suit jacket with a flick. "Settle score? You'd better prove you're worth the fight!"

In one quick motion, he snatched a knife from the floor and charged straight at Eliana. His movements outclassed those of the men she'd already defeated,the speed behind each strike catching the eye.

Eliana had burned through much of her strength making her entrance, and now she found herself straining against Flint.

Nothing in her mind had prepared her for how capable he truly was.

The Fist Guild's reports had painted a picture of Flint as less skilled than Kohen. Something in that assessment had gone terribly wrong. Beads of sweat began to gather on Eliana's brow as she slowly shifted from pressing the attack to struggling on the defense.

Flint caught sight of it and let a cruel smile stretch across his face. "So you believe a woman like you can even the score with me? I'll see to it you never walk away from this fight alive," he said.

His strikes came faster after that, each one heavier than the last.

No one could deny her strength, yet too much of her energy had been drained by the earlier clash with his men.

Her stamina was fading fast, and each breath came harder than the last.

Earlier, Flint had hung back, not out of mercy, but to dodge her poison and let time drain her strength.

He understood that facing her at her peak condition would mean certain defeat.

Rather than rushing the fight, he toyed with her,circling and chipping away at her stamina like a predator toying with cornered prey.

At last, his patience paid off, and his strike landed clean against the side of her neck. The world tilted around her. Her legs buckled, and the floor rushed up to meet her.

Flint's grin spread as he crouched down, tilting her chin upward between his fingers."So,you came all this way to settle scores? Let's see you try now."

Her stare cut through him, cold and unflinching

"Still not giving in? The deal's still open. Be my mistress, and I'll make sure you and your brother live to see tomorrow," Flint said.

His lust wasn't the only thing driving him. Calculations gleamed in his eyes.

With Eliana at his side, the Onyx Syndicate would fall neatly into his hands.

"You don't deserve!" Eliana retorted, her tone laced with contempt.

Even as she spoke, a thin glimmer of silver slid from her sleeve, poised to strike. Before she could move,a dark blur crashed into the scene,seizing Flint by the throat and slamming him against the wall.

"Ugh-" The impact drove the air from Flint's lungs,and blood spewed from his mouth.

Shock rooted her in place, her gaze drawn instinctively to the figure before her.

Only his back was visible, wide and commanding, his presence impossible to ignore.

Sunlight caught on the forearms revealed by his rolled sleeves, their muscles firm and defined.

Without a word, he stepped to Flint's side and brought his hand down in a swift blow, knocking him out.

Once certain Flint was unconscious, the man finally turned his eyes to her.