Prologue

The dim glow of her laptop illuminated Inara's tense face as she furiously tapped away at the keyboard. Her room was eerily silent except for the clacking of keys and her own shallow breaths. The soft hum of her computer felt deafening to her heightened senses. She was close—so close. Her fingers flew over the keys, bypassing firewalls, cracking codes, and navigating an untraceable labyrinth of encrypted files.

Finally, the screen blinked. She’d found it. What she’d been searching for.

Her eyes widened, heart hammering in her chest. A single line of text glowed on her screen, but before she could process it fully— CRASH!

The sound of her front door splintering echoed through the house. Inara froze, her breath caught in her throat.

Heavy footsteps pounded through the entryway, their rhythm growing louder with each passing second. Her entire body trembled, her hands hovering uselessly over her laptop. The sound of boots, too many to count, reverberated like a countdown to her doom.

She stumbled to her feet, backing against the wall as the door to her room was thrown open. A group of men stormed in, their faces obscured by black masks, their bodies clad in tactical uniforms. Each one looked like they could crush her with a single move.

“T-Tumlog kaun ho... yahan kyun ho?” Her voice cracked, a trembling whisper in the presence of such overwhelming force.

They didn’t answer. They didn’t need to. Their silence was suffocating. She was cornered prey, and they were the hunters.

Then she heard it.

Heavy footsteps. Slow, deliberate, and menacing, each step echoing with a weight that sent chills down her spine. The men parted, creating a path. Her gaze darted toward the doorway, her entire body trembling as the shadow of a man emerged.

He stepped forward, the dim light from her laptop casting his sharp features in stark relief. He was tall—towering over everyone else in the room. His skin was pale, flawless, and the only thing she could see clearly were his eyes.

Green, but with a glint of blue, like the ocean reflecting the sky on a stormy day.

Her knees almost buckled as she locked eyes with him. The sheer power he exuded was paralyzing.

The man tilted his head slightly, his lips curling into a smirk that was equal parts dangerous and alluring. His voice was low, husky, and laced with a quiet dominance that made her stomach twist.

“Nice to meet you, amore.”

The room spun for a moment, and all Inara could do was stand frozen, every fiber of her being telling her that this man—the devil in human form—was far more dangerous than she’d ever imagined.

___________________________

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬?? 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝?? 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞.

𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 @𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬786