Page 25 of Vows of Ruin

“Sebastian’s here. With two others. Says he has something of ours. Requested to meet the owners.”

I glance at Hunter, who gives a grim nod.

Torque racks his rifle with a low click. “You’re not going down there alone.”

Wrenley nods once. “I know.”

She doesn’t look scared. She looks carved from fire. And God help the bastard who tries to burn her first. I pull an earpiece from my pocket. “Then let’s get this over with.”

Torque and Wrecker head down first, guns ready and eyes sharp. Wrenley turns toward the door, Hugo already at her heel, but I stop her. “Wait.”

She looks back, brows drawn in that way that always hits me somewhere beneath my ribs.

I cross to the desk, reach under the drawer where I stashed it. “I had this made for you,” I say, heart suddenly thudding harder than any gunfight I’ve ever walked into. “Planned to give it to you differently, but… I think you need it now.”

She tilts her head, curious, but her eyes widen slightly when I drop to one knee.

Her sharp inhale punches straight through me.

I chuckle, low. “Not a ring. Relax.”

She laughs, barely, and mutters, “I don’t think that’s any better.”

“This,” I say, reaching for her foot and gently guiding it onto my leg, “Is between you and me.”

I wrap the thigh sheath around her leg, the leather molding perfectly to her like it’s always belonged there. Then I slip the dagger from its sheath and hold it up between us.

“It’s a replica of the one I placed around your neck that night we made you our Queen.”

Her breath catches. Hey eyes—fuck, her eyes go molten as she takes it from me, turning the blade over in her hands.

“I remember that night,” she whispers. “You were the one who knelt first.”

I nod. “I still would.”

She slides the dagger back into the sheath and then grabs my shirt in both fists, dragging me to her with a force that tastes like desperation and promise all at once. Our mouths crash together, fierce, breathless, mine already burning for her.

When she pulls back, she whispers against my lips, “I love it. And I love you.”

It hits differently, hearing it now, like the final puzzle piece sliding into place in the middle of a warzone.

She smooths her fingers over my chest and turns toward the door. Just as her hand touches the knob, she pauses, glancing over her shoulder.

“Was that a proposal?”

I smirk. “Yeah. I guess it was.”

She mutters under her breath, “The men in my life have such strange timing with those,” and shakes her head, soft curls swinging around her as she pushes open the door.

She doesn’t give me an answer. But I already know it. I fall into step beside her, hand brushing her lower back. The leather of the sheath’s edge peeks out from beneath the hem of her shirt, and something primal settles in my chest.

Whatever this night brings, hell or high water, I’ll face it with her at my side. Because now? She’s mine, too. And we’re going to meet the bastard who thinks he can take her from us.

I pull out the chair for her, and she sits owning the entire goddamn room. I don’t take a seat beside her. No, I stand behind her shoulder, just to the left, where I can see everything. Where can I be between her and them if I have to. Hugo plants himself to her right. A statue made of pure muscle and teeth.

Across the dance floor, twelve Serpents blend into the shadows, lining the edges of the club like the devil’s version of stained glass. Nothing flashy. Just steel in their eyes and weapons at their hips. They don’t need to say a word; our presence alone is a message.

Torque and Wrecker take up position behind the three who walked in. Sebastian, a dark-haired man with too many nervous tics, and a woman who looks bored and wants to be anywhere else.