Page 411 of Coal Hearts

My heart twinged with despair.

Swallowing hard, I grunted, “No, Vic. No objections.”

I had none because no one would get within firing distance of her.

I’ll make fucking sure of it.

“Great!” Passing me the gun, he inconspicuously looked at the guards with their sniper rifles on the battlement. Snipers all aimed at me. “In that case, how about you do the honours?”

“Fine.” I took the Glock.

The temptation to shoot him in the head made my palm sweat.

Pasting on a smile, I raised the gun to the sky. “Ready whenever you are.”

Victor grinned. “How nice.” Looking at his jewels, he stepped off the drawbridge, beckoning me to follow him. The avenue leading through the wall and toward the outside world hummed with ocean song and freedom.

The jewels all naturally swayed toward it, summoned by the allure of hope.

“You have a fifteen-minute head start, my pets,” Victor said gleefully. “Fifteen minutes to scurry your way across my island before we come after you. And that countdown begins...”

I closed my eyes.

Begged the fucking universe to give me luck.

I fired at the clouds.

BANG.

Gunpowder.

Ears ringing.

Hand vibrating.

I almost swallowed my own tongue. “Emerald Bruises begins now.”

I looked at Ily and imprinted her to memory.

I memorised her golden eyes, inky hair, and the soul that’d ensnared mine the moment I’d seen her in Paris.

If we survived this, things were changing.

I didn’t know how.

I didn’t know what I’d become.

But I did know I couldn’t stand this level of emotion anymore.

This agony of wanting and not deserving.

This despair and desire and decimating thirst for things I’d never had and things I would never earn.

I would win this game.

I would become the worst fucking monster to triumph over all other beasts.

I would cut away the strings of feelings and sink deep, deep into the black-fanged creature within me.