Page 156 of Maksym

“Voidable,” he said immediately. Then his expression hardened. “Or they should be.”

“We will make them void,” Kazimir said from farther back.

I looked at him.

He did not raise his voice. He did not need to. “Any law that cannot distinguish consent from compulsion is not law. It is cowardice wearing robes.”

Devon turned her face toward him, something like pride moving through her expression.

Bohdan spoke from his seat, quieter than usual. “Obsidian has suites that can be emptied and secured if needed.”

“No,” Maksym said. “Not Obsidian.”

Bohdan inclined his head immediately, accepting the correction before I could ask why.

Maksym’s gaze remained on me. “A pleasure club, no matter how safe, is not where the recently freed should wake.”

My chest tightened.

“Yes,” I said softly. “Exactly.”

“I have properties,” he continued. “Private. Quiet. Not attached to Amethyst. We will use one if appropriate.”

“We’ll also need supernatural-adjacent humans, maybe wolves as well. They’re close.” Doc said. “Carefully selected. Nurses. Counselors. People who can help without needing every supernatural detail.”

Maksym’s thumb moved once beneath my cheekbone.

“We will proceed carefully,” he said.

I nodded.

Carefully. Yes.

The jet dipped slightly.

A subtle shift in pressure touched my ears. Somewhere beyond the cabin, mechanical systems adjusted with a low hum. The clouds outside the window had thinned, and through a tear in the darkness I saw scattered lights below, hard and cold against the land.

Chicago.

Or close enough that the word became a pulse in the room.

Maddie reached across the aisle suddenly, her hand appearing between the seats. For a second, I thought she meant Nikolay, but her fingers angled toward me.

I took them.

Her grip was warm and fierce.

“You build it,” she said, voice rougher than usual. “Whatever it is. I’ll help. I know I’m just—”

“No,” Nikolay said softly.

Maddie looked at him.

He shook his head once. “Do not finish that sentence.”

Her mouth trembled, then steadied.

She looked back at me. “I’ll help.”