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The hilt of the combat knife vibrated violently as the blade bent against the man’s chest. Crying out in pain, Lucienne let go. Her palm was bleeding from the impact.

Fear floated in Lucienne’s eyes, and the man saw it, reacting with a cold smile. Her heart pounding against her aching ribcage, Lucienne recited Kian’s teaching silently, Fear isn’t my master. I master fear.Then a rush of adrenaline swelled in her. Her fear was replaced by fury.

An arm thicker than her leg threw a punch. Lucienne bent backward and dodged the blow. She whirled around and jumped in the air, striking a death point on the man’s chest with a booted foot. He staggered back a few feet. Meridian acupoints didn’t work on him either. Lucienne swept a second knife in a powerful arc and slashed across the giant’s throat, hoping that would be his weak spot.

The sharp blade didn’t even scratch his skin. The man elbowed Lucienne before the blade left his throat. Lucienne managed to duck. The brutal force missed her head but hit her between her shoulder and her heart. It was like being rammed by a hurtling train. Lucienne flew backward.

She heard a sickening sound of bones cracking and tissues tearing as she collided with the ground. A wave of heat surged through her throat. A fountain of blood spurted out of her mouth, spilling onto her white leather coat and the man’s bare chest and pants.

With a satisfied expression, the man bent to study Lucienne. “The last female Siren is no longer powerful but a whimpering mouse caught in a death trap,” he said. “I’ll not allow you to be Ashburn Fury’s downfall. When I end you, the line dies with you.”

“The Lam’s line . . . has endured tens of thousands of . . . years. I’m only a drop . . . in the ocean,” Lucienne said with effort. “Even you . . . can’t drain the . . . ocean.”

The man tried to rub Lucienne’s blood off his pants, but only smeared the stain wider. “The rest of them don’t matter. Only you carry the lethal gene. Niamh’s blood flows in you. I failed to stop her, but I won’t fail this time. Blame yourself for being born in the wrong century.”

“Why is it . . . the wrong . . . ?” Lucienne forced her question out. Every breath hurt, but she needed to get as much information from this lunatic as she could, and in the meantime, stall him. She knew her men must be trying to get into this pit right now. Even if they failed—most likely they would—she might still find a way out if she could buy more time.

“You were born into the same generation as Ashburn Fury, the Destined One,” the man answered.

“Why is he . . . so special? Is . . . it because of his . . . genetic code? Are you his . . . biological father?”

The man smiled with white teeth. It was stunning, but no human smiled like that, at least not a good human. “Sorry, I’d love to keepchatting but I must hurry. Ashburn will get down here any minute.” He plunged his mighty fist toward Lucienne’s skull. She rolled out of its way at the last second. His fist slammed hard into the ground but made no sound.

Timing was crucial when facing such a deadly force, and by will of steel, Lucienne ordered her body to move. But she had no illusion as to how long she could last. Her body would finally give in and override the commands of her brain.

“Wait,” Lucienne called, her voice hoarse. The pain in her body was excruciating. Sweat broke out over her face. Her back was also soaked, though whether by sweat or blood, she wasn’t sure.

“It can’t wait any longer,” the giant said, his hand reaching for her neck. Just as Lucienne feared, her body refused to move an inch this time. Even though her will was made of steel, her body was only flesh. The giant tore off her scarf, and his massive, cold hand locked onto her neck.

Lucienne stared into the face of death as the villain tightened his grip around her throat.This pit will be my grave,she thought. Her bones would dry out here. In the end, she was forced to abandon all who loved her, trusted her, and put their hopes in her hands. Vladimir, Kian, Aida, Ziyi, and all her fierce warriors’ faces flashed before her.I’m sorry, she said silently.You’re on your own.

Her cognac brown eyes burned the last residue of fire, wanting more than anything to cremate her enemy to ashes as she plunged into the dark abyss.

“Farewell, Niahm,” the man said without emotion. “And don’t worry about your men in Nirvana. They won’t be going back home either.”

Lucienne felt the life slipping out of her as air seeped out of her lungs.Do something!She sent her thoughts to her magical mark.If you have any real power, any at all, then save me, your last Siren.

No power flared from her mark, but amid the expansive blackness, Lucienne spotted the outline of a figure.

Ashburn lunged, slamming the giant away from Lucienne and cutting between them. Lucienne heard Ashburn growling, “What the hell are you doing, Seraphen?”

Ashburn seemed to have recovered from the fall. Lucienne blinked in surprise. Like her, he regenerated much faster than a normal human.

“Protecting you from her,” Seraphen said.

“She’s helpless.” Ashburn turned to look at a bloody Lucienne, who was clenching her teeth and suffering the agony in silence on the cold ground. Ashburn’s sorrowful look turned vindictive. “And you’re just going to murder her like that?”

“She can’t live. She’ll lead you and everyone to destruction,” Seraphen said. “You know deep inside she’ll become the tool of the Exiles. If they come back, it will be over. Take her out, and we buy ourselves another ten thousand years.”

“I’m the other part of the equation, a danger to the world, too, and maybe even more so than her.” Ashburn’s tone was acid. “Why don’t you take me out instead?”

“I didn’t come to eliminate your line,” Seraphen said. “When she’s out of the picture, you’ll be harmless. Without a catalyst, there will be no reaction.”

“You don’t know that! You said you’d been dormant for too long and that part of your memories were lost, and some were completely damaged.”

“A malfunctioned . . . creature.” As Lucienne spoke, blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

“You don’t really know that the Exiles’ purpose is to match her with me,” Ashburn continued. “If there’s indeed such an absurd program set a million years ago.”