The Crimson Chicken Company

Crimson Roost was supposed to be Darian Voss's next experiment: a fast, addictive restaurant empire capable of carrying Veyrathi influence farther than luxury dining ever could. Instead, the chain begins changing before its first location even opens.Customers gather outside unopened restaurants. Social-media accounts explode without advertising. Strange crimson formations appear across shipments and vanish before they can be examined. Those exposed to the affected food develop intense sensory fixation, recurring cravings, and an overwhelming need to return.Darian names the phenomenon Crimson Bloom.Then Tessa Wynn begins seeing the same impossible man at locations hundreds of miles apart. Security footage bends around him. Employees forget conversations seconds after they happen. His name is Kharovel, a predatory Veyrathi capable of moving through crowds without remaining in human memory.But Kharovel is not the only presence inside Voss Dominion.Altered contracts, impossible supply routes, and hidden personnel records reveal that another Veyrathi faction has already entered Darian's organization. Instead of retreating, Darian pushes Crimson Roost to expand faster.Because if ancient factions are fighting for access to his empire, then Darian has built something far more valuable than a restaurant chain.He has built territory.And everyone wants a piece now.