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In my death, they will live again.
They will truly be free.
Antony’s voice courses through my thoughts as a new kind of numb warmth shoots up my legs. “When I got your call today, I couldn’t believe our luck. I knew it was time to act. I rang Mackenzie and told her to wait for me, but of course she’s too impulsive. She ran straight over here to finish you off. But don’t worry, the legend of Claudia August won’t die with you. Your empire will live on. It’s time for you to retire and the true queen to take over.”
“Mmmmmm. Mmmmmmf.” A faint cry manages to penetrate my lips. I try to say that I’m ready to go, that Mackenzie can have my savage empire if she wants it so badly, that it’s a curse she will regret for the rest of her life.
“I think she’s trying to say that someone will come to save her,” Mackenzie trills. “She seems to believe that if she doesn’t show up at the docks, one of her handsome, loyal boyfriends will come to save her. But we have that all taken care of. Nero’s at the docks now with some of his top soldiers. He’ll make quick work of your people and secure the treasure, which he’s promised to halve with me. I’ll take over, and I’ll move in here with your three boyfriends. They’ll never know that I’m not the real Claudia. I’m going to have so much fun with them.”
“Now that we have the treasure,” Antony says, “we don’t need you anymore.”
“We really do appreciate everything you’ve done for us,” Mackenzie purrs, gripping the edge of the coffin. “But now it’s time to say goodbye, sis. Antony’s already dug you a nice deep grave. It’ll be such a pleasant way to go with those drugs in your system. You won’t feel a thing. Just close your eyes and slip away.”
I can’t do a thing as my sister lowers the lid. The last thing I see is Mackenzie Malloy’s ice-cold eyes glowing in triumph as the world disappears into darkness.
Claudia
As soon as the lid slams down, terror pulls me back from the edge.
No, no, no, no.
This can’t be happening again.
I’m ready to die. It’s right that I die, but not like this. Shoot me in the head, cut my throat, strangle the life from my veins. But not this. Not the way my father went. Not knowing that Mackenzie is going to go out there and drag my princes back into my empire.
If she gets her claws into them, they’ll never be free of her.
Too late, I see how stupid I am to let go. I haven’t set my princes free of me.
I’ve doomed them.
I try to fight, but my brain can’t make my limbs move. I draw up the images of their faces again, letting the love I feel for Noah, Gabe, and Eli swell inside me, focusing all that love on balling my fingers into a fist. And I do it! I do it! My fingers curl up, and I’ve got a fist that I can pummel against the wood, if only I can move my arm. But there are scraping sounds and faint voices. They’re preparing to lower my coffin into the grave Antony dug.
They’re going to bury me alive.
Again.
“Help, help,” I cry out, but I know my voice is only in my head. “Please, Gabe, Noah, Eli, I love you.”
I can’t die in here like this. I can’t I can’t I can’t—
The terror is so raw and hot and real. It’s not even about my horrible impending death. It’s terror for the people I love.
She’s taken my sight, my body, my ability to fight back. And now she’s going to take my family.
And I never would have fallen into her trap if I’d listened to Eli. If I’d paid attention.
I’m the tiny bird pulling out my own feathers so I can squeeze through the bars of the cage. And all this time, the door was fucking open. I was free. I had love that poets would envy, and I threw it away because of my own stubborn pride. And now I was going to drown in a cage of my own making.
I’ll never see them again. I’ll never be able to tell them how much I love them. I’ll never be able to bury my face in Eli’s golden hair and tell him how much I needed to hear that shit he said, even though I hated it at the time. I never should have accused him of betraying me when all he was trying to do was make me see.
I know what real betrayal is.
I know what real love is.
The coffin rocks dangerously, slamming my head into the walls. I have no control over my body, can’t even throw up my hands to protect my face. I hear the creak of wood and a thumping noise, and then I’m hurled against the lid.
The coffin slams into a hard surface and drops again. My neck snaps back, dancing white stars across my vision. My stomach lurches and I throw up, the puke bouncing back and splattering across my face.
