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He doesn’t. His eyes narrow on Vaelenor and he grins, bending over and rushing at him like a charging bull.

I’ve always been under the impression that all vampires have similar levels of strength. There’s no doubt in my mind that based on what I’ve seen, Caelan could have snapped through those restraints in seconds.

Cage is nowhere near as strong. Caelan would have sent Vae crashing through the stone wall. Cage slams into him with just enough force to make him grunt and stumble back a step.

It takes less than ten seconds for Vae to get Cage into a headlock and subdue him. He doesn’t even break a sweat.

“Stupid move,” Vae mutters, rolling his eyes.

“Fuck. Y⁠—”

“Yeah, yeah. Fuck me. Gods, you’re stupid. I can’t believe you really thought you were good enough to join the Bloodbound. Straight up, without your Daddy and his complaints to the Council, you never would have made it this far on your own merit. You’re pathetic.”

As Vae continues to dress him down, Cage’s eyes dart down and to the side, almost like he’s looking for something. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and my stomach churns as a suddenly ominous feeling washes over me.

What in the world is he doing?

I don’t want to get closer, but I do. Shifting to the side, I take small steps, inching closer toward both Alphas, trying to see if I can tell what Cage keeps glancing at.

On the side of the couch, leans an iron fire poker. I notice it at the exact moment Cage—still partially in Vaelenor’s grip—reaches out his arm and lurches to the side. He’s not far, and he easily wraps his hands around the cold iron. His mouth curls into an unhinged smile.

I scream.

“Vae! Watch out!”

Cage’s eyes shoot to me, but Vaelenor’s are already on the threat, and he snarls when he clocks the fire poker in Cage’s hands. He’s expecting an attack, I’m sure.

What neither of us is expecting is for Cage to lift the poker, pull it back over his shoulder, and whip it across the room like he’s aiming a spear.

A spear meant for me.

Time seems to slow. Fear immobilizes me, adrenaline doing nothing to shock me into movement. My eyes are locked on that sharp, pointed tip as it soars through the air, headed straight for my chest.

The metal is less than four feet away. Less than a second before it hits me, punching a hole straight through my heart.

Ending my life.

I know—I know—I need to move, but I’m frozen. Paralyzed with shock and fear and a complete system overload because this—this is too much. It’s too much.

Vaelenor’s screaming my name. Shouting at me with so much fear in his voice it breaks my heart.

I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die yet. I know my life has been awful and I know sometimes I wish I could sleep and sleep for eternity, but⁠—

Something slams into me from the side with all the force of a freight train and sends me flying through the air before I’ve processed what’s happened.

Unlike when my father backhanded me and sent me flying across the foyer, this time I’m aware of what’s happening, and I’m able to shield my head a breath before I fall, smacking hard against the cold stone of the floor.

I don’t get up right away. Instead, I lay where I land, curl into a tight ball, and focus on trying to pull air into my lungs. I’m distantly aware of voices shouting and the sounds of fighting, but everything throbs and aches. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe, but I know the poker didn’t hit me…

So why?

Confusion makes me peel one eye open, then the other. I blink blearily, shocked when I realize I was thrown all the way across the room. At my back, so close I can feel the heat of the flames, is the fireplace. How—how?

“—aimed at her chest!”

Vae’s voice.

“Yeah, well, pushing her into the fire failed, so I had to work with what I had,” Cage snaps back. The casual way he talks about killing me shouldn’t hurt. It shouldn’t, but Fates… I’m so tired. My body hurts. I can’t stop shaking. All I want is to disappear and pretend this entire morning didn’t happen.