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The cold barrel of the gun dug into the flesh beneath his jawline while the rogue taunted him, telling him how stupid his decision to save Blaire was. The rogue reeked of cheap alcohol and stale cigarettes; sharp fangs glinted beneath the lights of the chandeliers overhead.
Aiden didn’t dare turn to face the man, fearing if he made a sudden move, the gun would go off and splatter his brains across the walls of the ballroom.
“We’re takin’ the little human, no doubt about that, mate. But you coulda made this so much easier. Coulda saved yourself. Avoided being the hero.” The rogue at his side spat the last word, as if being a hero offended him.
Aiden wasn’t trying to be a hero. Lukas couldn’t get to Blaire. The clan was too busy fighting the other rogues to realize the danger Blaire was in. Seth was too busy trying to protect Riley.
He was the only chance Blaire had of making it.
He had to try.
He jerked against the rogue’s hold, but the gun pressed deeper into his skin. From the corner of his eye, he could see the shaky finger poised over the trigger. One wrong move and it would be over.
He was much larger than the rogue. If there wasn’t a gun to his jaw, the man wouldn’t stand a chance against him. But they both knew whoever had the gun held all the power in this situation.
“Seth,” Riley cried. “Let me go. Let me go now!”
Aiden looked up to see his little sister squirming and kicking at Seth. Dominic helped to reinforce the restraint on her petite body. Aiden had no doubt she had tapped into her preternatural strength if both guys had difficulty restraining her.
“My brother needs me!”
Her broken plea tore his heart in half.
“Know what we’re gonna do with our little human before the doc starts filleting that pretty flesh?” the man who held Aiden sneered, licking his lips noisily. He didn’t seem to like Aiden’s attention divided from him. “Gonna show her how real Vasirian men can please her. Not some schoolboys or Korrena lovey dovey crock of shit. I bet she tastes like peaches.” He spoke louder, “What do you think, Jude? Peaches? What’s her blood taste like, mate?”
Aiden’s teeth felt like they would grind to nubs with how hard he clenched his jaw while the rogue babbled on and on with his friend who restrained Blaire with his preternatural abilities. The cold metal pressing against the delicate flesh of Aiden’s neck remained an ever-present reminder he couldn’t attack the man for his words.
“—before we rid the world of this parasite.”
Aiden didn’t catch the beginning of the man’s statement before he lumbered to his feet, the tight grip on Aiden’s hair flexing with the move.
The gun disappeared from his neck, only to be positioned at his temple.
His eyes met Blaire’s.
It killed him to know he would never see her again. She wasn’t his fated pair, but he felt a connection to her from the moment she joined Blackthorn Academy. She was important to his life. Something more existed between them than the prophecy detailing how she would save their kind.
He loved her.
Not in the way one would cherish a lover. No. He loved her in the way one would cherish a piece of their own soul. Now, he would never know why.
As tears ran down her face, he held her gaze. “I’m so sorry,” he said.
Shifting his blurry gaze to his friends Seth and Lukas, he swallowed the lump lodged in his throat and blinked. Tears tracked down his cheeks as he spoke with a rasp. “Take care of Riley.”
His gaze moved to his little sister.
Never again would he argue with her about her shopping addiction. Never again would he be able to reassure her and soothe her heart when the world became too much. He had to pass that job on to Seth now. He prayed to whoever would listen that Seth and Riley would work out their mess so she wouldn’t be alone.
Smokey blue eyes swam and glittered in the amber light of the ballroom as mascara streaked over pale cheeks. He would miss her face.
“I love you.”
The crack against Aiden’s head following his declaration made him jolt upright in bed, sweat running in rivulets down his face.
He touched his temple with a trembling hand. The skin felt intact.
He turned on the lamp on his bedside table and peered down at his glistening fingertips. No blood, only sweat.
