17.The Ride to War

Leah stood near the edge of the loading platform, arms crossed, watching the first shipment roll in.

Massive crates, lined up in perfect formation, glided forward on automated tracks.

Fuel cells. Rations. Medical supplies.

Everything they needed to survive.

Everything they couldn't afford to lose.

Her fingers tapped against her arm, tracking every movement, every delay, every weak link in the process.

Beside her, Ross scanned the manifest, his sharp eyes flicking over the data on his tablet.

"Shipment's intact. No missing crates."

Leah nodded, but she didn't relax.

Because this was the easy part.

The hard part?

Making sure it all stayed that way.

Then—

The air changed.

She felt it before she saw him.

A familiar, heavy presence.

A step behind her.

Then—his voice.

"You're obsessing."

Leah didn't turn immediately.

Just huffed, shaking her head.

"You're late."

Kael Orion Voss stepped beside her, hands in his coat pockets, silver eyes flicking over the shipments.

"I was occupied."

Leah finally glanced at him.

And paused.

Something about him was off.

Not obvious. Subtle. Barely there.

But she caught it.

The tension in his jaw. The lingering sharpness in his gaze.

Like he'd just walked out of a war zone.

Her brow lifted. "How was dinner with your sister?"

Kael's lips curled.

Not in amusement.

In something colder.

"Predictable."

Leah hummed. "That bad?"

Kael's gaze didn't shift from the cargo.

"It was Ravenna. What do you think?"

Leah considered that.

Then shrugged. "So… a disaster, then."

Kael exhaled through his nose.

Not quite a laugh.

But close.

Ross, ever professional, didn't react.

Didn't comment. Didn't so much as raise a brow at the sharp edges between Kael and Leah.

Just checked his comm, flicked through the data, and stepped away.

"I'll verify the manifest. Be back in five."

Translation: You two need to talk.

Leah barely noticed him leaving.

Her eyes stayed on Kael.

Because Kael wasn't just here to check shipments.

And he sure as hell wasn't here for small talk.

The silence stretched—not uncomfortable, not tense, just weighted.

Then—Kael tilted his head slightly, silver gaze scanning her face like he was looking for something she hadn't said yet.

"When was the last time you slept?"

Leah blinked.

Then frowned.

"Don't start."

Kael didn't look away.

Didn't even shift.

Just kept watching her with that infuriating, unreadable gaze.

"That long?" he murmured.

Leah exhaled sharply, crossing her arms.

"I don't have time for sleep."

Kael's lips curled—not in amusement, but in something sharper, colder.

"You think running yourself into the ground is a strategy?"

Leah rolled her eyes, shifting her weight.

"I think survival requires work, and work requires time. And last I checked, time isn't something we have a lot of."

Kael hummed—low, thoughtful, unconvinced.

"No, but you won't survive any of it if you collapse before we even get on the damn Ark."

Leah opened her mouth to fire back—but then she caught it.

That flicker of something real in his expression.

Leah sighed through her nose, rubbing a hand over her face.

"I'll sleep after the meeting with Jace."

Kael exhaled slowly.

Then—after a long moment—

"Six hours a day."

Leah narrowed her eyes.

Kael just watched her.

Silent. Waiting.

Leah held his gaze for a beat longer—

Then sighed.

"Fine. Four hours. But if something goes wrong, I'm getting up."

Kael didn't argue.

Just inclined his head slightly, silver eyes steady.

"Deal."

And somehow—

Leah knew he'd hold her to it.

Finally, Kael turned toward her, silver gaze locking onto hers.

"Then let go meet Jace Solen."

Leah stilled.

Not from shock.

But from the weight of it.

Because this wasn't just a casual introduction.

This was a move.

A gamble.

A test.

And it was about to change everything.

She exhaled, rolling her shoulders as she moved toward the car.

The car moved smoothly through the city, neon lights bleeding against the tinted windows.

Inside, the air was thick.

Not with tension.

Not with conflict.

But with something unspoken.

Kael sat beside her, silent, still.

Watching. Waiting.

Letting her lead—because she'd asked him to.

Leah exhaled slowly, fingers tapping lightly against her knee.

Kael finally tilted his head, silver eyes catching hers.

"You're sure about this?"

Leah's lips curled slightly, not quite a smile.

"I don't play games with Jace."

A pause.

Then, softer—more honest.

"And I don't lie to him, either."

Kael's jaw ticked once.

But he nodded.

"Then let's see what that's worth."

The car rolled to a stop.

And outside the window—Solen Tower loomed.

A towering monument of power, wrapped in steel and tinted glass, rising against the skyline like a king's fortress.

Jace's domain.

The doors to Solen Tower opened instantly.

Jace was waiting.

He leaned casually against the polished marble reception desk, dressed in dark, tailored business wear, looking every inch the untouchable empire king.

Sharp. Smug. Dangerous.

His gaze flicked to Leah—and something in his expression shifted.

"Leah."

Her lips lifted slightly. "Jace."

A slow exhale.

Then—

"I need a favor."

Jace's brows lifted, amusement flickering in his ice-blue gaze.

"That's new."

Kael stayed silent.

Just stood at Leah's side, watching, listening.

She had asked him to let her handle it.

So he would.

For now.

Leah stepped forward, taking her time, building the offer piece by piece.

Her voice steady, deliberate.

She didn't rush.

Didn't push.

Because Jace wasn't someone you cornered.

Jace was someone you enticed.

And when Leah finally laid out the terms, when she finally got to the real weight of the deal—

Jace's smirk faded.

His gaze sharpened.

And the air in the room shifted.

Kael saw it.

Saw the moment Jace started taking this seriously.

And that was when Kael knew—

They had him.

"What exactly are you asking me for?"

Leah inhaled slowly.

Then—deliberate, even—

"I need you to back Kael."

Silence.

Jace blinked once.

Then—slow, deliberate laughter.

Soft at first.

Then richer, edged with something almost delighted.

"You?" He tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "You're asking me to back a Voss?"

Kael didn't react. Didn't so much as shift.

Leah, however—

She took a step closer.

"I'm not asking."

Jace's smirk lingered, but there was something new beneath it. Something colder.

"That so?"

"That so." Leah's voice didn't waver. Didn't soften. Didn't give him an inch.

"And why, exactly, would I do that?"

She held his gaze.

Then, quietly—so quietly it cut sharper than a shout—

"Because you owe me your life."

Jace's smirk vanished.

Instantly.

Gone.

Like it had never been there at all.

The shift in the room was absolute.

Behind her, Kael watched, his silver gaze unreadable.

Jace exhaled through his nose, tilting his head slightly, jaw ticking.

Then—

"Careful, Leah."

Her eyes didn't flicker.

"I am."

A slow inhale.

A slow exhale.

Jace rolled his shoulders back, crossing his arms. "Even if that were true—"

"It is."

"—I don't take orders."

Leah's lips curled.

"Neither do I."

Another beat of silence.

Then—Kael stepped forward.

Smooth. Precise.

His voice was absolute.

"Then take a seat."

Jace's brows lifted slightly.

"Excuse me?"

Kael tilted his head.

"Take a seat on Ark 0. Bring a team. Fifty men. Your pick." He paused. Then, smoothly— "After all, you are related to Leah by blood. I can't treat my bonded family bad right?"

Silence.

Thick. Heavy. Absolute. It was a very generous offer.