Bonds

Chapter 104

-Maya’s POV-

Adrenaline surged through my veins, my gaze darted back to the computer screen, the image frozen on a shot of me watching the sleeping

the

twins. Panic clawed at my throat,

Who was watching me?

And how long had they been doing it?

Throwing the covers back in a single, frantic motion, I scrambled out of bed. My bare feet slapped against the cold floor as I raced towards the door, the chilling image on the screen burning into my memory. I had to get to the twins, see if they were alright.

Were they safe?

Had whoever was watching me done anything to them?

Reaching their room, I flung the door open with a force that sent it slamming against the wall. Relief washed over me in a tidal wave as I took In the scene before me. Nate and Ivy lay nestled together still, fast asleep, their breathing soft and even. The sight of them, safe and sound, calmed the frantic storm raging inside me for a moment.

But the image on the computer screen kept flashing through my mind, a constant reminder of the threat that lurked in the shadows. Someone had been watching me, watching the twins. What did they want? And how long had this been going on? The thought sent a fresh wave of panic crashing over me.

forced myself to forget about the text, everything had been fine. It was a one time thing like Natalia said, someone thought pulling a prank would be fun. But it wasn’t, someone was watching me still. They had been in the house. They had been in the twins room. They had been in the room I shared with Ivan. Ivan. I needed to find him. I sprinted out of the room and down the hallway, my bare

outside, standing on the porch, his back to me. He was

out, my voice ragged

gaze flickered over my dishevelled appearance, taking in the way my hair hung loose around my shoulders and my clothes were

his voice laced with urgency. He took a few quick steps towards

a step, my hand flying out to grip the railing for support. Suddenly, the adrenaline that

there,” He said, reaching out to steady me. His touch was gentle, sending a spark of warmth through the growing coldness that had begun

focus. This wasn’t the time to be collapsing. “No,

words tumbling out in a jumbled mess. I told him

Chapter 104

the realization that someone had been

twins at risk. Ivan listened patiently, his expression unreadable. He didn’t interrupt, didn’t judge. He simply waited, allowing me to purge the fear and panic from my system even though I knew he

my entire body trembling. Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. I felt so stupid, so careless. How could I have let this happen? Why did I discard

wave of panic through me. “Maybe it’s the adrenaline from what happened earlier messing with your head?” His jaw clenched slightly at the last part, a

swear,” I stammered. “It was a live feed of me watching the twins. Frozen on the screen. You said you took out the camera in their room. That means someone had installed

potential threat to the twins‘ safety. The thought of them being watched, their every move monitored by

hand on my shoulder, his touch surprisingly gentle. “Okay, okay,” he soothed, his voice calm and steady in stark contrast to the storm raging inside me.

cried, my voice laced with desperation. “They could be anywhere!

at you. You’re shaking like a leaf. We can’t go searching the house in this state. We’d wake the twins and probably miss something important in

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” he continued, his voice taking on a more authoritative tone. “You go back inside and get some rest. It’s

me a few paces. I watched as he dialed a number, his brow furrowed in concentration. He spoke in hushed tones, his voice

phone and turned back to me. “I just called some people I know,” he explained.” They’ll be here first thing in the morning. They’ll sweep the entire mansion, check all the security footage, and

over me, momentarily pushing back the tide of fear. “Are you