I didn’t move.
“She didn’t go in there for glory, or because she had something to prove. She did it because she gives a damn. About Ronan, about Kieran. About all of us. And whether your pride will let you admit it or not—she would’ve done it for you, too.”
His words hit harder than any blow I’d taken.
And he wasn’t wrong. That was the damn problem.
Freckles had this habit of caring too much—of choosing others instead of herself. She loved like it was a curse she welcomed, even when it would break her. Even if it would kill her. That’s what she has done now.
And I’d let her walk away anyway.
She wasn’t like us. Like me.
She didn’t shut people out to survive. Didn’t choose cruelty just because it was easier. No—she stayed, even when she had every reason to run. And now she was walking straight into hell, alone, because she thought no one would come after her.
I turned toward the door, dragging in a breath like it might steady me.
“Get ready, we’re going after her.”
Drew didn’t need to be told twice. He was already moving, his shoes crunching over shattered glass as he passed. Daleyza followed too, silent but swift, determination in every step. I buckled my weapons to my side, the familiar weight anchoring me to what came next. The blade at my back carried the heat of the last life it ended.
The sky stretched wide above, an endless expanse of sapphire, clear and untouched by even a wisp of a cloud.
Spring arrived like a breath held too long, bursting with colour and promise. Blossoms unfurled in wild abandon, their petalspainting the wind with perfume, while the scent of rain on warm soil clung to the air like a memory.
Summer draped itself in gold—sunlight spilling like honey across the earth, the heat wrapping around our skin in waves, the bright sun in the sky always shone brightly.
Autumn whispered of ending, the breeze tinged with smoke and spice. Leaves ignited in hues of scarlet and amber, falling like firelight to the ground, each step a quiet crackle beneath your feet as the world exhaled into sleep.
Then came winter—silent, radiant, and breathtakingly cold. Snow fell like whispers from the sky, gently covering rooftops and trees in a sparkling hush. The ground shimmered beneath the moonlight, resembling crushed glass, and everything—the air, the stillness, the stars—felt sacred, as if it dared not move.
I skid to a dead stop. Drew crashes into my back with a curse, stumbling back before he rights himself.
“The hell, Darian—”
My focus was on Daleyza. “You can’t come with me. Drew, take her to the Whispering Woods.”
He blinked. “Absolutely not. That place is a walking nightmare. The trees whisper shit, bugs the size of my fist, and things that crawl sideways. Hard pass.”
For goodness’ sake, how are we related?
Daleyza just raised a brow at him like he was the idiot twin.
She’s not wrong.
“The witch has a hidden cottage deep in the forest,” I continued, ignoring Drew's dramatics. “No one knows it exists. You’ll be safe there. That’s where I need you to be.”
Drew opened his mouth again, but I cut him off before the sarcasm could spill out.
“This isn’t a damn debate,” I snapped. “I can’t watch your back and do what needs to be done. Go. Keep her safe.”
I stepped forward before either of them could argue, pulling them into a rough, fleeting embrace. My arms locked tight around them for just a second—one I knew I wouldn’t get again if things went the way I expected.
They’re four years younger than me—all of us young when the vampires ripped our parents apart. After that, it was just us. No one else. No safety net. Just me. I had to become their everything.
That night, I made a promise soaked in blood that nothing would ever happen to them. Not while I was breathing. I would gut every last leech that crossed my path, starting with the bastard wearing a crown in Eclipsara.
Daleyza's fingers curl into my leathers for a second longer before she lets go. Drew chews his lip, eyes fixed on the floor.
