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“Fuck the Authority. You’re more important.”His eyes drank her up, and she felt his desperate desire to touch her. When she stepped backward, he swore savagely.

“I’ll be here when you get back. We’ll talk. Swear.”

CHAPTER25

Trevor didn’t remember anything after Deni dropped the perfume bottle, but it must’ve beenhorrificbased on Soleil’s reaction to his touch. Although she’d been trying to keep the mood light concerning her trauma, her haunted eyes were breaking his fucking heart. How was he supposed to leave her in this state? For what? To have the Authority slap his hand? They could dole out their punishment later.

“Go, Trevor,”she said in a low voice.

“I can’t leave you, Dalli.”His voice cracked like adistraughtteenage boy’s, but he ignored the fact they had an audience.“I love you, and I need to make this right. Whatever it was I did.”

“You tried to kill her, son,”Ben said.

“No, he tried to erase her,”Damian corrected in a frosty voice.

The blood drained from Trevor’s head, and he felt dizzy. The confirmation was in Soleil’s tragic eyes. But not a single tear escaped the lids where they brimmed, and her expression was resolute.“You should go.”

Yet he couldn’t look away from her beloved face. In the furthest reaches of his soul, he knew if he left her, she’d find a way to keep him at arm's length forever.

“No,”he rasped out.“No, Dalli, I’m not leaving you.”

“Trev—”

The shuffle of booted feet drowned her out.

His hourhadrun out.

Rough hands gripped his arms and drew his wrists behind his back. The crisp snap of a shackle clicking into place followed a rattle of chains.

“No!”Soleil flung herself at the closest Red Guard, shoving him away from Trevor. The ground trembled under her rage.“Get off him, asshole!”

The guard made the grave mistake of striking her.

Trev launched himself at the fuckwit and wrapped the dangling chain around his neck. He might not have his abilities, but he had a good amount of muscle—even as weak as they were—and a burning need for revenge.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”

The Aether’s explosive temper slapped everyone back, except his daughter. Gasps echoed throughout the room, and a few unfamiliar with the sting hissed in a breath.

“Release him, Blane.”When Trev hesitated, Damian narrowed his eyes.“Now.”

The chain dropped, and he shoved the fucker away, watching dispassionately as the man gripped his throat and fell to the ground before meeting the Aether’s gaze.“Happy?”

“Not in the slightest. But at least the Authority won’t make me kill you for your impulsive actions.”

Soleil sucked in a breath and gripped Trevor’s free wrist. His one consolation was that she’d momentarily forgotten her repulsion to his touch.

She whipped around and frowned up at him.“You don't repulse me!”

Her outrage flooded his brain, and he winced.

“Well, you’re something,”he grumbled aloud.

Gripping his face between her palms, she dragged his head down and planted her mouth over his. A single swipe of her tongue over his lips urged him to open to her.To taste.To appreciate what might be their last moments if Agnes Vector sweet-talked her way around the Council.

“She won’t,”Soleil murmured, drawing back.“I’ll go with you as a witness.”

“You going to give them hell, Dalli?”he asked with an appreciative grin.“You’re good at that.”