Page 57

He coughed. A wet, ugly sound. “You always—” He cut off with a grimace. “You always come back for me.”

“Yeah, well.” I glanced down at him, forcing a smirk despite the ice in my veins. “You make it hard not to.”

We reached a half-collapsed building, and I eased him down against the wall. His breathing was worse now, but his eyes stayed sharp, pinned on me.

“You’re not going back out there alone,” he said, the fire still burning behind his pain.

“You’re not in any position to stop me.”

He grabbed my wrist, his grip surprisingly strong. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

I pried his fingers loose, but I couldn’t meet his gaze. Because I knew I already had.

“I’ll be back,” I said, stepping away before he could argue.

And then I was gone, slipping back into the chaos.

The streets ran red. Smoke stung my eyes, and the cries of the wounded rang out like a death knell. I pushed forward, blade in hand, cutting through the chaos, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.

I spotted a group of townspeople cornered near the smithy. Three men and a woman were shielding a child. The rogues circled them like wolves, snarling and snapping.

No time to think. I lunged.

The first one fell fast, my blade slicing across his throat, but the others turned on me in an instant. Claws and teeth flashed. I dodged, barely, feeling hot breath against my neck as I spun and drove my dagger into another’s gut.

Blood sprayed, but there were too many. They kept coming.

“Run!” I roared at the townspeople. “Now!”

They hesitated for a breath before scrambling toward the alley. A shifter lunged after them. I threw myself in his path, slamming him to the ground. My knife found his heart, but not before another tackled me from behind.

Pain exploded in my ribs as I hit the ground hard. I rolled, grappling with the weight pinning me down, but claws raked across my arm, tearing deep. I roared, head-butting the bastard before throwing him off.

I staggered to my feet, chest heaving. The townspeople were gone. I could only hope that they were safe, but the rogues closed in.

I swung wildly, catching one across the jaw, but another barreled into me, knocking the blade from my hand.

I hit the ground again, this time with a knee pressed to my chest and claws digging into my throat.

“Look at you,” the shifter hissed, breath reeking of blood. “So noble. So pathetic.”

I thrashed, but his grip held. My vision blurred at the edges.

Annika’s face flashed in my mind. Her eyes. Her smile. Her fire.

I let out a guttural snarl and pushed back with everything I had, throwing him off balance for just a second, but it wasn’t enough.

I was dragged through the streets, blood caked in my hair, limbs weak and trembling, but my mind… my mind was sharp. Every step, every scrape against the rough stone, was agony. But it didn’t matter. I couldn’t afford to show weakness.

They threw me in front of their leader like I was nothing more than an animal. He stood tall, his presence suffocating. His smirk stretched across his face, a twisted thing full of malice.

“All hail the great Zaros!” Our enemies chanted until their leader lifted his hand and silence followed momentarily.

“You should be proud,” he said, his voice a silk-lined razor. “You’re about to witness the fall of your precious town, vampire prince. All of it, yours for the taking. And your sweet Annika…” He laughed, a cruel, echoing sound. “She won’t be far behind. She’s the key, after all.”

I clenched my fists, fury bubbling up, but I held it back. I needed clarity. I needed to think.

“Don’t get too cocky,” I spat, blood dripping from the corner of my mouth. “You still haven’t won.”