Hard.
My mouth devouring his without regard for anyone else around us. Mira. Lily. Dead Michael. The growling lycans. Shouting vampires.
I didn’t care about any of them.
Only Cam.
My Cam.
His fingers threaded through my hair as he held me to him, the two of us on our knees on the ground while we feasted upon one another for everyone else to see.
I love you,I told him.You. My Cam. This version. The one you’ve become. The one you always were. My mate. My king.
I love you, too,he whispered back to me.You’re my heart, Ismerelda. My soul. Building that barrier between us was the biggest mistake of my existence. Without our connection, I lost myself entirely. It wasyouwho helped me defeat Cane, Izzy. He was wrong. You’re not a weakness; you’re my strength.
Tears filled my eyes with his words, his mind telling me how much he meant each one.
Our souls belonged together. No barriers. No hiding secrets. Just a pure, open connection.
Together, we were one. A unit. An unstoppable force.
King and queen.
But we weren’t monarchs who were meant to rule a kingdom. We were monarchs who were meant to rule one another.
“Fuck, that’s not… that’s not what I want to see at all,” my twin muttered from nearby.
“What did you do, Izzy?” Ryder asked me. “Mutilate Michael with a fork?”
Only Ryder would interrupt a moment by evaluating my killing method.
I pulled away from Cam, my gaze holding his as I replied, “I used a dagger.”
“Seriously? There isn’t a single clean angle or slice anywhere on that neck. Are you sure it wasn’t a butter knife?” Ryder asked.
“I didn’t have an ax,” I muttered, finally looking at him. “You’re the one who taught me to always improvise. Iimprovised with the knife…” I trailed off, my gaze searching the room for the one who had given me said knife.
Only, Mira was nowhere to be found.
I frowned. “Where’d Mira go?”
“Probably to find Luka,” Damien replied. “She’s been working with him the whole time.”
My eyebrows rose. “What?”
“She’s been playing double agent, just like Hazel,” Ryder explained before tousling my hair like one would a little sister. “Keep up, Izzy.”
I swiped at him, causing him to jump back with a chuckle.
Would you like me to kill him?Cam asked, his mental voice serious.I’ll happily do it.
I gave him a look.You can’t kill Ryder.
I assure you, Ismerelda, I can.
Perhaps physically… he could. Or it’d be a pretty even match.
But that was beside the point.I don’t want him dead,I told Cam.
