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Elisabeth Ashford doesn’t remember the last time she ran this fast. She even doubts she’s ever run like this before. Especially in the middle of the night. Especially with heels sinking several centimeters into the snow.
She glances behind her, a shiver of fear running down her spine. The manor gradually fades into the darkness, but she doesn’t care. The cold bites at her skin, the icy air rushes into her lungs, burning with every breath, but she doesn’t slow down. She’s going to make it out.
After that lunatic Maya dragged her out of Hugo’s grasp only to go back herself, she didn’t take time to think. She headed straight for her car, her only salvation, her only way out. She kept repeating to herself that the tires would be enough to clear the snow piled on the path, that Jeffrey and Robert had already partially cleared the way earlier. Too bad for Jimmy, too bad for Hugo, for Maya and all the others. Ashford never signed up for this, and there’s no way she’s going to risk her life.
She threw herself into the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition, praying the car would start on the first try. The engine roared to life, but as soon as she moved a few meters, her heart skipped a beat. A dull thud. Then nothing. The front wheels spun uselessly, swallowed by a snowdrift.
She hit the steering wheel in frustration, then hurried out, her frozen fingers grasping anything that could help her free the car. Snow flew into the air as she desperately tried to clear the tires, shoving rocks and slabs under the wheels to give them traction. But nothing worked: the car didn’t move an inch.
Furious, shaking with cold and anger, she finally took refuge inside, cranking the heat up to the maximum. Her legs, soaked with melting snow, felt the icy dampness seep into her bones. She stared at the digital clock on the dashboard, watching the seconds tick by with unbearable slowness. How long since she called Ryan? He couldn’t just leave her here. He wouldn’t. He counts on her, and she matters to him.
She’s convinced of it.
Since she joined Atlas, she was immediately captivated by him. His charisma, his confidence, that way of speaking that commanded everyone’s attention in a room. And then there was that biting humor, that almost dangerous charm. From the start, she knew she liked him.
She had heard that he was married, but his wife was serving a long prison sentence for the murder of a former student whom she wrongly suspected of being his mistress—a certain Kate. An insignificant detail, really, because Ryan had never held back from seeing other women, before and after that story.
In the first few months, he made it clear that she wasn’t his type. But she also knew how to be patient.
Everything changes when she takes the lead at Phoenix. Her role, her influence, her power. And then there are those seminars. Those boozy nights where masks fall and she knows how to make herself indispensable, irresistible. She had pulled him aside, convinced him on her knees, her lips and tongue doing the rest. They had slept together several times after that. Not as much as she would have liked, but she knew there was more.
Ryan can pretend otherwise. He can play the indifferent man, the elusive one, but she had seen his looks, caught his silences. He wouldn’t have let her climb so high if there wasn’t something between them. So no. He won’t abandon her.
She clenches her jaw, her nails digging into the leather of the steering wheel. She would have stayed there, curled up in her car, waiting for salvation, if a figure hadn’t suddenly appeared from behind the house.
Hugo.
She doesn’t wait to see if he spotted her. She throws herself out of the car, her heart pounding, and rushes toward the wide-open gate of the estate. She prefers to face the icy night, the biting cold, the unknown, rather than stay one more second at the mercy of that… thing.
Now far from Blackmere, her heels sink into the soft snow, slowing her run, but she doesn’t stop. She hugs her arms against her chest, her teeth chattering violently from the biting cold, the icy path threatening to make her slip at any moment. She moves blindly, guided only by the pale moonlight outlining the uncertain contours of the road.
The adrenaline starts to fade, replaced by a dull anxiety. Then, suddenly, the night splits open.
Headlights. Several, lighting up the road like a divine apparition.
The beams of light blind her, projecting her distorted shadow onto the snow. She stops abruptly, raising a trembling hand to shield herself from the blinding glow. She squints, her heart racing.
So many cars? Did those idiots at the manor finally manage to call the police?
A car door slams, sealing her fate.
Maya rushes down the stairs from the second floor, cursing herself internally for being so blind. How could she have missed something so obvious? It was there, right under her nose, for so long. She could have made the connection back at the Sea View Hotel. She could have prevented so many things from happening! But now is not the time to dwell on regrets. She needs to tell the others. Now.
Her gaze sweeps the first-floor hallway, then Harriet’s room, expecting to see them there already. Nothing. They must still be downstairs. She dashes toward the staircase leading to the ground floor, her heart pounding, urgency pushing her to descend without thinking. But she stops abruptly on the first step.
The silence.
An oppressive soundless void reigns over the house. Yet, the staircase leads directly to the entrance of the bar, where she left Hugo tied to his chair, overturned on the floor. She should hear him fuming, cursing, struggling. But nothing.
Her stomach twists with worry. A cold sweat runs down the back of her neck as she begins a more cautious descent, each step measured, all her senses on high alert. She strains to hear, searching for the slightest noise, the faintest breath. When she finally reaches the ground floor, her gaze freezes on the front door.
Wide open. In the hall, snowy footprints stain the wooden floor, leading further into the house. They have come back in, but where are they?
A dull fear rises within her as she moves forward, her gaze probing the shadows. She stops in front of the bar door, hesitates for a second, then peeks inside.
Empty.
Hugo has vanished.
A shiver runs through her, and panic threatens to take over. She’s sure of it, she’s found the key, the solution to all of this. But she needs to tell the others before something terrible happens.
A gunshot suddenly tears through the silence.
Maya jumps violently, instinctively crouching as if the bullet could hit her, her breath caught in her throat. The sound came from close by. Her gaze frantically scans the surroundings and finally stops at the hallway leading to Ashford’s office and the library. She heads there silently, each step controlled, her muscles taut to the limit. The closer she gets, the more voices rise.
“Miiiiiiiissed meeeeeeeee…” A drawling, mocking voice, vibrating with hatred.
Hugo. Then, a reply, dry and threatening.
“Next time, I won’t miss.”
Jenks.
Maya reaches the corner of the hallway and, pressed against the wall, takes a quick peek.
Hugo stands there in the middle of the passage, his bat in hand. His body twitches with a sick excitement, impatience twisting his stance. He has his back to her, completely unaware of her presence. Further ahead, Jenks stands like a shield, his weapon raised. Behind him, Harriet clutches Camille tightly, trying to protect her while battling another fear—the fear of leaving Jenks alone against this monster.
“I promise I won’t miss you either, Inspector. Not you, not the others.”
Maya presses herself back against the wall, her heart pounding wildly. She closes her eyes for a second, then takes a deep breath. She knows. She knows she has found the key. Elias’s words, their conversation on that stone bench, come back like a haunting melody.
“Until we face and embrace our Shadow, aren’t we all, in some way, cursed?”
She gathers her courage and slowly moves behind Hugo, her soul on the verge of her lips. The faces of Jenks, Harriet, and Camille freeze when they see her appear, terror paralyzing them. But Hugo doesn’t understand. He thinks their horrified expressions are directed at him, at his threats.
“Until we face and embrace our Shadow…”
Maya is just a few steps away. If she reaches out, she could touch Hugo’s back. No… not Hugo. Jimmy. It’s Jimmy who’s there. It’s Jimmy who needs her.
“Until we face and embrace…”
Elias’s words echo within her. They cling to her mind, preventing her from being completely overwhelmed by fear and from retreating.
Hugo tenses, ready to leap at Jenks. But as he moves, she grabs his wrist with both hands, holding on as if her life depends on it, determined not to let go.
He spins around violently. His gaze falls on her—dark, distorted, blazing with a madness that no longer resembles anything human.
“You!”
Maya feels her breath catch. The horror in those eyes paralyzes her. But she doesn’t let go.
She searches for Jimmy. Not the monster. Not the shadow. Him.
She digs deep into those eyes that are now nothing but darkness, looking for the clumsy, slightly eccentric man who felt more comfortable on a stage than in front of young girls. The one whose eyes lit up at the mere thought of sharing a performance with them—with her.
Then, with all the gentleness she can muster, she moves forward. One of her hands slowly travels up his arm, making sure not to lose contact. She doesn’t back away. She doesn’t flee. She faces him.
“Jimmy… I want to talk to Jimmy.”
She murmurs, trembling, her heart racing, but her voice rings out like an incantation.
“Let me go, Maya…” Hugo growls. “It’s too late to…”
She doesn’t let him finish. She moves closer, until her face is just a few inches from his. She sees every twitch of his features, every micro-expression betraying the struggle raging within him. Then, in a swift movement, she steps forward and wraps her arms around him with all her strength.
She holds him tight, burying her face into his shoulder, ignoring the metallic scent of blood, the violent tremor shaking him. She doesn’t want to scare him. She wants him to come back.
At first, Hugo freezes, tensing as if she had just burned him. Then he fights, violently.
“Maya, let go of me!”
His body twists under her arms, as if seized by an uncontrollable spasm. He tries to push her away, but she holds on, tightening her embrace with a strength she didn’t know she had. She knows it’s not her touch causing this, but her intention.
“I need Jimmy. I want Jimmy.”
He trembles. His breathing becomes erratic.
“No… I… I… let… me…”
He struggles again. Less forcefully. Less certain.
“Jimmy… please… I need you. I know you can do it. Fight…”
“Shut up!! Shut up!”
“It’s not your fault, it’s not you… you don’t deserve this…”
“SHUT UP!”
“It’s not your fault…”
She presses her cheek deeper against his shoulder, closing her eyes, focusing solely on him. On the man she refuses to abandon. His body, shaken by spasms, weakens. His breathing becomes heavier. Then, slowly… he stops struggling.
Maya freezes, waiting for a reaction. Then nothing, no more resistance. She pulls back quickly, searching his face. And through his troubled, human blue eyes, she finds him.
Jimmy is back.
Lost, terrified, his eyes glisten with unshed tears, his face trembling, distorted by an inner struggle he seems about to lose.
“Maya…”
His voice cracks, as if he can’t believe it’s really him speaking, as if he can’t believe he still holds the reins.
“You got this, Jimmy.”
She tightens her fingers around his. His clammy, tense hands nervously knead hers as if trying to ground himself.
“Hold on,” her voice quivers, but she doesn’t falter. “You’re in control. You can stop him.”
“I… I can’t…” Jimmy shakes his head, helpless.
He lowers his gaze, ashamed, stifling a sob so hard it threatens to break him.
“Yes,” she gently takes his chin between her fingers, forcing his gaze to stay on her. “Yes, you are.”
Her hand slides along his cheek, warm, soft, reassuring. She smiles at him. She doesn’t even realize it, but she’s crying too. Jimmy takes a shaky, unsteady breath. He closes his eyes, as if trying to better feel the warmth of her hand against his skin.
Maya doesn’t let go. She sees him. She knows what he’s going through, that dark abyss trying to swallow him whole, that voice whispering it’s not him who’s in control. But this time… she doesn’t leave him behind.
When he opens his eyes again, he already seems more grounded in his body. The shadow recedes, fades away. He’s taking back control. She breaks into sobs, unable to hold back her relief.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm hmm…” Jimmy nods softly, a barely audible murmur escaping his lips.
He’s still fighting, reclaiming his breath, his body, his mind, his will. But he looks at her as if she’s his last anchor, unable to look away, as if afraid everything will collapse again if he stops seeing her.
She presses her hand a little more firmly against his cheek, stroking it gently with her thumb, giving him a point of reference in the chaos.
“Can you stay with me in charge just a little longer? Just a bit more?”
Jimmy can’t find the words to answer, so he just nods again. But this time, tears flow freely down his cheeks. Then, with infinite gentleness, Maya pulls him to her. She holds him with everything she has, surrounds him, keeps him here, present, human.
And after a moment of hesitation, Jimmy breaks down. He collapses into her arms, his sobs finally breaking free, uncontrollable, heart-wrenching, as if he hasn’t cried like this in years. His legs give out, and he sinks to his knees in front of her, his arms wrapped around her, his face buried against her stomach, unable to hold back any longer.
Maya feels his whole body tremble. So, she wraps her hands around his head, keeping him close. She cries too.
“Shh… Shh… You’re back. It’s going to be okay.”
When she looks up at Jenks, Harriet, and Camille, she sees the inspector frozen, his gun still raised, his face marked by utter confusion. Harriet has a hand pressed over her mouth, and Camille is crying, whether from fear or relief, it’s hard to tell. No one speaks. The only sound filling the space is Jimmy’s sobs. Then Maya finally breaks the silence. In a small, trembling voice, still holding him close, she murmurs.
“Wanting to be loved… That’s what they all had in common. The price of the deal with the entity… was to be loved.”
Jenks blinks, as if emerging from a trance. Breathing heavily and with a clenched jaw, his mind still seems to be processing what he just witnessed. Slowly, almost mechanically, he lowers his weapon, not taking his eyes off the scene before him.
He exchanges a look with Maya, filled with questions, confusion, and incomprehension. He watches Jimmy, curled up against her, shaking with silent sobs, then looks back at the young woman, trying to make sense of it all. She stares at him intently, her eyes filled with tears, her chest rising and falling under the weight of emotion. She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t need to. He understands.
Jenks takes a deep breath and steps forward cautiously, his gaze shifting between them. Then he gently places a comforting hand on Jimmy’s shoulder, echoing the young woman’s words.
“It’s gonna be okay, son… Just take a deep breath.”
Maya can see that Jenks doesn’t fully understand, but he trusts her. He doesn’t need words for that. It’s there, in his gaze, in the way he doesn’t question her further, in how he stays close.
But suddenly, the roar of engines and the screech of tires on gravel break the silence. Cars, several of them, come to an abrupt stop in front of the manor. Maya instinctively turns her head towards Jenks, her heart pounding.
“Looks like reinforcements have arrived,” he says, managing a smile, this time genuinely relieved. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
She watches him walk away towards the entrance hall, his back tense, his steps quick. As soon as he’s out of sight, Maya lowers her eyes to Jimmy, still collapsed against her. His body seems drained of all energy, barely able to stand. She kneels in front of him, gently cradling his face in her hands, wiping away his tears with her thumb.
“Did you hear that? It’s over,” her voice tries to be reassuring, though it’s heavy with emotion. “We’ll find a way, we’ll get rid of it…”
And mine too, she thinks bitterly, without saying it.
Jimmy nods slowly, his eyelids heavy, his eyes shadowed with fatigue. He looks exhausted. Maya helps him to his feet, feeling his weight sag against her. She steadies him, pressing her hip against his and slipping an arm under his shoulder. She knows he’s still fighting. She has to find a way to help him win this battle once and for all.
Harriet, still at the other end of the hallway, keeps Camille close to her. Her gaze darts between Maya and Jimmy, uncertain, and both women flinch slightly as they approach. Maya can’t blame them.
“Don’t worry. It’s going to be okay, every—”
“Get upstairs!!”
Jenks’ voice cracks through the hallway like a whip. He’s just appeared at the end of the corridor, out of breath, his face tense and dark. Something’s wrong.
“Go upstairs now!!”
He rushes toward them, and a moment later, three men burst in behind him, dressed in black, weapons drawn. Maya doesn’t even have time to process what’s happening before one of them opens fire, aiming at the inspector.
Instinctively, Jenks zigzags, narrowly dodging the bullet that whistles past him by just a few inches. But at that moment, a scream of pain pierces the air.
Maya turns just in time to see Jimmy stagger, one hand clutching his side. He wavers, his face contorted in agony.
“No!”
But she doesn’t have time to see where he’s been hit—Jenks grabs them both and pulls them along in a hurried movement. Ahead of them, Harriet and Camille are already running towards the emergency staircase. More gunshots explode behind them, echoing violently through the manor’s hallways.
“Stop shooting, you idiots!” roars a deep, authoritative voice. “I want Hall alive!”
Maya doesn’t dare turn around to see who it belongs to. She clings to Jimmy, supporting his weight as best as she can while letting Jenks drag them forward, her heart pounding wildly.
“A mirror! Find a mirror!”
She immediately understands Jenks’ idea. Letting him take over with Jimmy, she dashes toward the large mirror at the end of the hallway, her trembling fingers feverishly searching for the opening mechanism. Behind her, the sound of footsteps grows louder.
At last, she manages to trigger the hidden opening and pushes Camille and Harriet inside without delay. Jenks follows, supporting Jimmy, whose breath is ragged with pain. He wavers with every step.
Just as Maya closes the mirror behind them, a group of armed men rush into the hallway. Pressed against the wall in the darkness of the secret passage with the others, she watches the scene unfold through the mirror’s surface.
A man steps forward, exuding a chilling confidence. He’s dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit, holding a flask from which he takes a casual sip, almost nonchalantly. At his side, a more fragile figure huddles under a thick blanket.
Ashford.
Her face shows signs of exhaustion—her nose red from the cold, her eyes puffy and shadowed. She’s visibly trembling, but when the man glances at her, her expression shifts. An odd gleam appears in her eyes—something between admiration and submission.
“Search this place from top to bottom and find them,” orders the man in a sharp tone. “The others, prepare the great hall. The ceremony must be completed by dawn.”
Ashford shudders slightly.
“Ryan… you shouldn’t take this risk. That man is dangerous.”
He smirks, then casts a nearly affectionate look at her.
“Ah… my dear Elisabeth… that’s precisely why he interests us, isn’t it?”
He plants a light, condescending kiss on her forehead before signaling to one of his men.
“Escort her to her room—make sure she takes a hot shower and changes.”
He waits for her to walk away, visibly unsettled, before lowering his voice to a man standing close by, his smile gone.
“Kyle… go down to her office and clean up her computer and phone. Just in case…”
“And the remaining assistant?”
The man doesn’t respond, but his gaze says it all—cold and devoid of any emotion. Then the two of them leave.
From the other side of the mirror, Maya feels her breath catch. She finally releases the breath she’s been holding. Around her, Harriet, Camille, and Jenks do the same.
The inspector clenches his jaw, shaking his head.
“Ryan Rand… Really not the visit I was hoping for,” he mutters, glancing down at Jimmy, whom he’s still holding up. “Hey, son, you okay?”
But Jimmy doesn’t respond. His face is pale, his legs giving way, his arm pressed against his abdomen, where a large stain is spreading on his sleeve. Maya feels a surge of panic gripping her chest.
He’s bleeding.