Jay's POV
The morning calm didn't last long. Once Aries, Jane, and Percy emerged from their rooms, the Stronghold's sleek, minimalist halls transformed into a high-stakes obstacle course.
"Percy, if you touch my hair tie one more time, I will feed you to Onyx!" Jane's voice echoed from the living wing.
I leaned against the kitchen island, watching as Percy sprinted past me, holding a silk scrunchie like it was a captured flag. Aries followed close behind, not to stop him, but to trip him.
"Give it back, you gremlin!" Aries laughed, diving for Percy's legs. The two of them tumbled onto the plush carpet just as I stepped into their path.
"Break it up, or I'm telling Ma Jeana there's no dessert for a week," I teased, crossing my arms.
"Jay! Tell Percy to stop being a menace," Jane huffed, skidding to a halt, her hair a chaotic mess.
Percy grinned, popping up. "I'm just testing your reflexes, Janie. You're getting slow. All that time with Kyle is making you soft."
Jane's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. "It is not! And don't call me Janie!" She lunged for him, and the three of them began a frantic game of tag around the massive marble island.
"Hey, watch the tactical gear!" Keifer barked as Aries nearly knocked over a display of ceramic daggers. But even he had a smirk tugging at his lips.
"You're just mad because you're the oldest and you can't join in," I whispered, poking his side.
"I am a grown man, Jay. I don't run after siblings," he said, right before Aries pelted him with a sofa cushion. Keifer froze, his eyes narrowing. "That's it. You're dead, Aries."
Within seconds, the 'scary' Supremo leader was chasing my brothers through the atrium, the sound of their laughter bouncing off the reinforced glass. It was a rare, beautiful sight—seeing them be kids again, even if some of them were technically adults.
By noon, the boredom hit. The Stronghold was a masterpiece of technology, but it was still a bunker.
"Hide and seek. The whole place," Cin announced, jumping onto the coffee table. "No thermal goggles allowed, Keifer!"
The rules were set. We had ten minutes to hide.
The Locations:
The Parents: Ma Jeana, Ma Serina, and Tita, Pa's and Kuya decided to 'hide' in the pantry, which really just meant they were drinking tea and gossiping behind a heavy steel door.
Aion and the Keir and Keig: Aion had dragged a mountain of cushions into the air vents—a spot only he was small enough to fit.
Freya and Ella: Found a brilliant spot inside the walk-in wardrobes of the guest wing, camouflaged behind rows of designer tactical coats.
Rakki and Mica: The silent shadow was literally clinging to the ceiling beams in the training gym, invisible to anyone who didn't look straight up.
Others here and there in the mansion .Cin was the seeker.
I found myself ducking into the dark library, a room filled with floor-to-ceiling mahogany shelves with Keifer ,Jane and Kyle.We spillted to avoid getting caught. I squeezed into a narrow gap behind a rolling ladder, holding my breath.
Author's POV
In the dimly lit corner of the library, Jane was already there, tucked into a small reading nook. But she wasn't alone. Kyle was with her, his arm draped protectively around her shoulders.
"We're going to get caught," Jane whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of excitement and nerves.
"Let them find us," Kyle murmured, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw. He leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. "You look beautiful when you're flustered, Jane."
"Kyle... stop," she giggled, but she didn't move away. He leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her cheek, then another to the corner of her mouth.
It was innocent, sweet, and smelled of the peppermint gum he always chewed.
"I'll protect you from the 'seekers'," he promised, pulling her closer into his chest. Jane sighed, melting into his embrace, the chaos of the war outside forgotten in the safety of his arms.
Jay's POV
I moved deeper into the library to give them privacy, but as I turned a corner into the 'Historical Archives' section, a hand shot out of the shadows.
A firm grip pulled me into a small, secluded alcove. I opened my mouth to gasp, but a warm palm pressed against my lips.
"Found you," Keifer's voice was a low, gravelly vibration against my ear.
He didn't let go. Instead, he pressed me back against the cold stone wall, his body pinning mine with a sudden, overwhelming heat.
The darkness of the room made every other sense heighten—the scent of his expensive cologne mixed with gunpowder, and the sound of his ragged breathing.
"Keifer, the others—" I started, my voice breathy.
"The others are busy," he interrupted, his hand sliding from my mouth to the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair. He tilted my head back, his eyes dark with an intensity that made my knees weak. "You have no idea how much I've wanted to get you alone since this morning."
He leaned down, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of my throat. I let out a soft moan, my hands clutching the front of his tactical vest, pulling him closer. The friction of his rough gear against my soft clothes sent sparks through my nerves.
"You're a distraction, Jay," he growled against my skin, his teeth grazing my collarbone. "A beautiful, dangerous distraction."
He moved his lips to mine, not with a gentle kiss, but with a raw, demanding hunger that spoke of years of waiting. His tongue swept against mine, claiming me, while his other hand slid down to my waist, hoisting me up so my legs wrapped instinctively around his hips.
The air between us was electric, thick with a tension that felt like it might explode. Every time his heart thudded against mine, I felt the "CEO" and the "Queen" melt away, leaving just us—two people clinging to each other while the world burned.
"Keifer..." I whispered against his lips, my fingers digging into his shoulders.
"Mine," he muttered, his kiss deepening, his hands roaming my back with a possessive urgency. In the silence of the Stronghold, the only sound was the frantic rhythm of our hearts and the distant, fading laughter of our family.
For a moment, the war didn't matter. The bunker didn't matter. There was only the heat of him, the taste of him, and the promise that no matter what Lucas did next, we were a force that couldn't be broken.
The "thump-thump" of Onyx's tail hitting a nearby door frame finally broke the spell. We pulled apart, breathless and flushed.
"Next time," Keifer whispered, smoothing my hair with a shaky hand, "I'm locking the door."