I followed him down the metal stairs, the adrenaline finally beginning to fade, leaving my limbs heavy and cold.

We reached the car just as the rain began to slacken into a light drizzle.

Aries stood by the open door of the sedan, looking out over the dark water of the river.

“It is over,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.

“The threat to the syndicate is over,” he said, turning to look at me.

His face was pale in the yellow light of the docks, but his eyes were calmer than I had ever seen them.

“But your work is just beginning, Sienna,” he said.

“My work?” I asked.

“You showed me that a suit can be more than wool and silk,” he said, his fingers brushing against his own lapel. “It can be a map. A shield.”

He stepped closer to me, his presence warm against the cold damp air.

“I want you to design a new line for me,” he said. “For my personal security. Garments that are reinforced, but elegant. Stitched with your own hands.”

“I don’t have an atelier anymore,” I said.