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The Sacred Light settles into the chair across from me. “No, Ava. I would never have allowed the kidnapping to happen if I could have stopped it. Or any of what’s happened to you these last several months. You’re an innocent girl. You didn’t deserve it.” His mechanical voice is strained. “But I can only do so much. I can only kill when it’s within my rights. I follow the laws I interpret. After spending time with Kane, he turned out to be more loyal to our laws than to his father.

Kane’s jaw clenches almost imperceptibly.

“Innocent girl,” I scoff. “What do you care? From what I understand, you let things like this happen all the time.”

Coraline crosses the room, her boots thumping against the floor. “We should move soon. Damian will be on our?—”

The Sacred Light raises a hand, silencing Coraline. “There’s time.” He turns back to me. “You won’t know fear, Ava. Never again.”

I swallow hard. “I don’t understand.”

“I mean you won’t be Damian’s captive anymore.” The Sacred Light leans forward. “I’ll create a new life for you, and you’ll be free.”

46

Damian

The boat skims across the black water. Every muscle in my body is coiled, but I force myself to stay still. Focused.

Hunter crouches next to me, his face obscured by the shadow of his hood. His eyes are fixed on the blueprints of the house on his tablet.

“We’ll hit the outer perimeter in five,” he says. “Security shifts change every four hours. If we’re quiet, we’ll be inside before they know what’s happened.”

I glance down at my hands, flexing my fingers to keep them from trembling.

Hunter’s sharp gaze flickers to mine. “Don’t fuck this up.” His tone is calm but biting. “We do this my way, or we’re dead before we hit the main house.”

I nod. “You focus on getting us in. I’ll focus on getting her out.”

Hunter frowns. “Focus on not killing Gabriel. Put your all into that. He took the Sacred Light with him. That’s an act oftreason. But this is Gabriel Wolfe. Who knows how things will shake out once it gets back to the High Master.”

I’ll focus on getting Ava out. That’s all.

Nothing else matters.

Not even my life.

The boat slows, and Hunter signals to the driver. The engine dies, leaving us in eerie silence. The island looms ahead, and there’s a faint light glowing at the edge of the cliffs—the house.

I step onto the wet sand, and my boots sink slightly with each step. Hunter is already ahead, moving like a shadow. I follow, my chest tight with the weight of what’s at stake.

The first obstacle is a low fence, barely visible against the darkness. Hunter signals for me to stay back, his hand slicing through the air in a sharp gesture. I roll my eyes but obey, watching as he approaches the fence, pulling a small device from his bag. There’s a faint buzz, and then the fence’s security light blinks off.

“Clear,” he whispers, waving me forward.

I climb the fence in seconds, dropping silently onto the other side. The path ahead is lined with cameras, and Hunter is already crouched near a control box, rewiring it with practiced efficiency.

“Thirty seconds,” he mutters.

I grip the hilt of the knife strapped to my thigh. My eyes scan the trees ahead, every shadow and movement amplified by my heightened senses.

“Done,” Hunter says. “Cameras down. Let’s move.”

We slip through the trees. The house comes into view, its grand arches glowing faintly under the moonlight.

Hunter stops abruptly, his hand shooting out to halt me. He points to a pair of guards patrolling the side entrance, their rifles slung over their shoulders. My pulse quickens, the urge to strike overwhelming.

Hunter reaches for the small dart gun at his side, aiming with precision. Two soft hisses, and the guards drop silently to the ground. He glances back at me and nods.