Savage Gentleman: 13. The Shadow Accord

Vienna had woken to a gray, uneasy calm. The streets still glimmered with rain, and the remnants of the masquerade lingered in puddles of broken glass and scattered confetti. But for Evelyn and Lucas, the city had shifted — it was no longer a place of beauty or history; it was a battlefield.

They moved through the quiet streets in silence, the chip tucked safely beneath Evelyn’s coat. Every shadow seemed to lean toward them, every footstep echoed with invisible eyes. Lucas stayed close, hand brushing hers at intervals, not a casual touch but a reminder: survival required precision, and trust had to be earned again and again.

Their first stop was a discreet safe house on the outskirts — a building older than memory, its walls thick and windows shuttered against observation. Inside, the air was stale but secure, the hum of a single heater the only sound beyond their own careful breathing. Evelyn placed the chip on a table, tracing its metal edges as if she could memorize i