Alianna knew she was alone even before she opened her eyes.

Her body was so attuned to Jax's presence that she definitely noticed his absence and sure enough when she sleepily glanced at his spot on the bed; it was bare. Alianna sighed before getting up and freshening herself before heading downstairs. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she brushed her teeth as she and Jax were hardly ever apart since meeting L'iiblis. He was not working in his office or he would have told her in that quiet murmur she loved.

She could only assume he was with Evan or Rex as she changed out of his shirt and into fresh clothes before heading downstairs. She smiled and greeted Genevra and they chatted as Genevra finished up breakfast for Alianna.

"Morning," Genevra greeted Evan and Rex as they walked in. "Where's Jax?"

Evan raised an eyebrow, "Is he not here?"

"Isn't he with you?"

All attention snapped to the lady at the table as Alianna's fork clattered on the plate as her stomach filled with dread as she realised what Jax had done. A string of profanities left her mouth as she ran upstairs. She heard Evan and Rex follow her up to their room.

"He's gone," Alianna uprooted every weapon she hid in the room and tossed them onto the bed. She did not care about the men in the room as she changed into the clothes she wore yesterday.

"Gone where?" Evan asked evenly as Alianna pulled her black vest over the custom bullet proof vest Jax commandeered for her.

"To find L'iiblis," she murmured. "He's gone to get himself killed."

Evan swore, "This bastard." He looked at Rex, "Get men to the address he left." Alianna started to follow Rex but Evan stopped her. "There are some people I would like you to meet."

Alianna stood up straighter, catching on to Evan's tone. The pair walked in silence to the foyer where twenty men stood in a circle around the Boveri family crest, all dressed in black, guns gleaming at their waists. They looked up as Evan and Alianna descended the grand staircase.

"Good morning," Evan said. "I would like to introduce you to the Boveri rose, Alianna."

"Mistress Alianna," the men bowed in unison to a full 90 degrees, a gesture she returned. "We are the Keepers."

"These men keep the key members of the Boveri family safe," Evan informed her. "Their sole mission at the moment; protect you."

Alianna sighed as she saw Naveen and Emilio staying in fringe. She gestured to them, feeling more at ease with her guards with her. She scanned each one of the men, learning their faces and build, just as they were doing to her; learning each other to distinguish their friend from their foe.

"This man we're dealing with," her voice echoed through the house, drawing the attention of all the men, "is meticulous, psychotic and ruthless. He has no intention to kill Jax, he only wants one thing; me." She could feel Evan bristle next to her as he caught on to her plan. "We're going to make a trade, me for him."

"Alianna!" Evan and Naveen exclaimed. 

She did not care for their reactions as she kept her eyes trained on the legion in front of her. The Keepers understood, Jax's life was worth more than hers. The Boveri family will crumble without him, Alianna was dispensable with no ties and responsibilities to her name; though many of the men thought that without her, Jax would be worse than dead. It was an unconventional situation but it was choice that needed to be made.

"Let's go." 

Little did she know that she was now the most powerful person in the room, not Evan nor Rex not only by the title Jax had unceremoniously given her, but it was something she earned on her own.

Her legion moved silently as they piled into vans, Alianna caught Naveen looking at her from the driver's seat, his disapproval near tangible as Emilio, Scott and Evan came in.

"There's nothing you can do or say to change my mind," she said curtly as they headed towards the towering gates of the Boveri manor.

"Alianna, please reconsider this," Naveen begged.

"Do you think I would be able to live with myself knowing that a legacy fell to dust because of me?" she asked quietly. Her eyes flickered to each of her companion's faces, "I thought so."

"Mistress Alianna," the oldest and most senior of the Keepers had entered the van with them. "What are our orders?"

Alianna sat back and mused the possibilities in her head, for a moment everyone was reminded of Jax. "Your priority is to get Jax out, alive and if you can," she paused to wet her lips, "L'iiblis as well." Her heart pounded as the reality of her thoughts sunk in. "As a last and absolute last resort; kill him."

~

Alianna stood at the front of the abandoned multi-storey building. Jax's men, her men, spread out on the outside of the compound, each man armed and dangerous. She could taste their anger, smell their bloodlust; it reassured her, calmed her even. She had no doubt in her mind that these men would not hesitate to carry out their duties tonight.

"Evan, Rex," her quiet summon brought the men to her side in an instant. "You know what you need to do."

Evan swallowed and nodded. He hated this, he hated that Alianna did not need to spell everything for them. She had been right, she knew that one day this would be the reality they faced and she trained them for this. He pulled her to him, hating that cold look in her eyes; that look when she went from Alianna to Alianna.

"You are to stay alive, do you understand?" he murmured. "You stay alive, we will come for you."

Alianna smiled thinly as Evan released her. She turned to Rex, whose distaste with the situation was betrayed in his eyes. A surprised gasp left her lips as Rex pulled her in for a hug. This stunned everyone as many thought the silent man felt nothing for the people he worked with. Rex's gesture broke a piece of her soul and she hugged her dear friend back. She looked at Emilio and Naveen, both men refused to stand by her on her suicide mission but she did not blame them. Emilio made the sign of the cross before he and Naveen gave her a mock salute. With one last breath, she turned her back to them before stepping forward. She felt the Keepers fall in line as together they walked into the building.

"Where to Mistress?" in her peripheral she saw the first of the Keepers slip away to their stations on the ground floor.

"To the top," she said, "he's waiting for us there." There was no doubting that L'iiblis knew they were there. He had back up stationed on the outskirts, as confirmed by Rex's infrared drones but the men outside were ready. Rex's toys had also indicated two figures, one standing and one sitting, possibly bound to a chair on the highest floor.

Little by little, the Keepers disappeared as the ascended floor by floor, soon she was left with ten men. The most trusted men out of the most ruthless Jax had to offer, she marvelled at the ease at which she could work with them, quietly mulling if that was a good or bad thing.

A soft footstep made her and her company stop. They were on the second to last floor but the party had been moving silently and not one of them was a fool enough to make such an infantile mistake. Alianna raised her hand, stopping the men from opening fire to the seemingly empty room.

"There's no use in hiding anymore," her voice reverberating off the walls. "You can drop the mask now, I know who you are."

The Keepers redirected their aim to the stocky silhouette that emerged from the doorway. Alianna kept her hand raised, stopping the fury they were itching to release. "You played your game well, but don't play games with a woman who can play it better."

"Mistress," one of the Keepers interjected, they were getting restless and they were thirsty for revenge.

"Relax, he's one of us," she glared at the man who sauntered to them with arrogance, "or was."

"Right, Joel?"