Scarlet Night (Limited Edition) by Megan Parker Page B

doors opened to reveal the headquarters’ main lobby, Zane showed no hesitation in stepping past into the room, Serena again found herself frozen at the familiar-yet-foreign scene. Realizing that he had exited alone, he turned and stared expectantly at her, signaling with his eyes for her to follow. Though her pride was quickly beginning to fracture, she couldn’t shake the familiar and crippling feeling.
    A feeling like…
    Just go, Serena! Devon’s voice echoed in her mind and enveloped her in his warmth. She sighed, glancing over at Devon’s ghostly silhouette for one last nod of support before turning to Zane, who was staring impatiently at her.
    She finally nodded and stepped out of the elevator.
    The subterranean complex was as massive as she’d remembered. As the elevator doors slid shut with a soft hum behind her, she accepted with only a minor tremor of panic that she was underground. Despite this, her father and his efforts had transformed their headquarters into something befitting royalty, and she was reminded of this fact as she caught sight of a large marble fountain a short distance away. A series of colored lights surrounded and adorned the monument, lending a sense of beauty and serenity to the otherwise barren setting. Past this, the room forked off into several corridors where the clan member’s rooms were kept.
    Despite her father’s eye for décor, it was all still the same.

Serena couldn’t help but smile at the wave of nostalgia that flooded her at the sight of her childhood home. Though she couldn’t honestly say that they’d all been good, it was still the site of many fond childhood memories. As a little girl, she had always thought of the clan’s headquarters as her own, personal five-star resort, and as she welcomed the various flashbacks she stepped towards the fountain. Despite the rush of emotions, the rhythmic and serene sound of flowing water over the intricately carved marble had a soothing effect and she casually ran the tips of her fingers across the surface and watched the ripples echo out from her touch.
    When she was young; she had always been fascinated with the fountains in the park and had often asked to go out to see them. However, due to the dangers that came with being both a part of such an influential clan and the daughter of its leader, casual outings of any kind were few and far between.
    “He said it was built for you.” Zane stepped over, his purposeful stride resounding on the tile floor and pulled Serena from her own mind. “He never said too much concerning it, but we all knew. I used to find him sitting here when things were quiet enough and he thought he was alone.”
    “My father… did this… for me?” She pulled her fingers away from the water hurried to rub away a burning pool that had begun to well in her eye, “I wouldn’t’ve thought, after everything that had happened that he’d even want to remember me.” Zane shrugged and sat on the outer edge of the fountain’s foundation. Letting out an exhausted sigh, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, suddenly looking very exhausted. He stayed quiet, keeping his gaze locked on the floor as Serena finished her thoughts, and, while she appreciated it, it wasn’t a comfortable situation to be in with company. Dragging her focus away from the fountain, she turned her back to it and sat next to Zane. “How did you and he meet anyway?”
    The question forced a smile to his otherwise sullen face and he rubbed absently at the back of his neck. “It’s a long fuckin’ story…” he chuckled and shook his head, “I guess you could say he adopted me.” He scoffed at his own choice of words and shook his head. For the first time since their meeting, Serena saw Zane offer a genuine smile. “Your fathe—”
    “There you are! I was starting to worry you’d skipped town, Zane!” An excited, warm voice chimed from behind. Zane let out a small growl and cupped his face in his hands,