Fuck her.
Fuck this broken kingdom and every coward who stands by her side.
I won’t give her Ravena.
She’s the only one who can stop Vespera, the only light left in this rotting darkness. My heart already belongs to Cherry. Even if I die down here, broken and bleeding on a stone floor while monsters circle above, my heart will still be hers.
It always will.
Forever.
I slam my head forward, the satisfying crunch of bone-on-bone as Vespera staggers back, blood pouring from her now-busted nose. She hits the floor with a snarl, and before I can enjoy the moment, a dozen hands are on me—yanking my arms behind my back, steel biting into my skin, a blade pressing against my throat.
Kieran’s shouting my name, but I can’t look at him. Because all I see is her. Bleeding. Humiliated.
A bruised face and a bruised ego—that’s a win in my book.
People always forget I’m more than the nice one. The guy with the easy smile, cracking dumb jokes and baking cinnamon rolls to make everyone feel better. There's always been a shadow under my smile. A darkness tucked beneath the jokes and sunshine.
And if you threaten the people I love?
I’ll cut out your heart and hand-feed it to the dragon like a treat.
God, I could really use that dragon right now.
Vespera straightens, blood smeared under her nose, and storms towards me. Her fingers twist in my hair, pulling my head back until my spine protests, and then the steel is pressing against my skin.
She’s not just pissed. She’s seething.
“You were always the reckless one, Ronan,” she hisses, black eyes glittering like poison in the moonlight. “Always eager to throw yourself in the fire for people who don’t deserve it.”
I smile—tight-lipped, defiant. “That’s what you do for your family. But of course, you wouldn’t know anything about that.” I lean forward slightly, ignoring the sting of the blade and my broken wrists. “No one could ever love a poisonous bitch like you.”
“I’ll let my guards have their fun,” she says softly, letting go with a sharp jerk that nearly snaps my neck. “Then I’ll send them for your family so you can watch them die.”
The first boot slams into my ribs.
Pain blooms fast as I watch her leave the room with Nyx. Another blow. A fist to my jaw. The wet crack of something breaking.
I lose count of the hits.
But I don’t lose focus.
Because even as the blood floods my mouth, even as my body folds under their assault, all I can think about is them. Ravena. My mother. Kieran. The twins and Darian.
They are the only ones that matter to me.
If my body becomes a shield for them, then so be it.
Let me bleed. Let me break.
As long as they live, I’ll endure every second.
Chapter 26
RAVENA
The guilt eats me alive as I sprint through the trees, my breath ragged, the cold air biting at my skin. Branches lash at my arms and legs, but I don’t slow down. I just threw on whatever was closest, pulled my boots on, grabbed the dagger and ran for it.
