Page 74

Flynn

F irst came the spark—a single, electric pulse deep in my chest. Then the flood: blood rushing, nerves firing, lungs expanding.

I breached the surface of death gasping, drowning on air, every nerve ending raw and screaming as sensation flooded back.

Seb’s arms were the only solid thing in a world that wouldn’t stop spinning.

Fragments of reality pieced themselves back together—the damp earth beneath me, the bite of cold wind, Seb’s arms around my shoulders.

“Flynn,” he said. “Flynn, look at me.”

I forced my eyes to focus on his face. Tears had carved tracks through the blood and dirt on his cheeks. His dark curls were wild, eyes wide with disbelief as his hands cupped my face.

“You were dead.” His thumbs traced my cheekbones. “You were dead.”

Another ragged breath tore through me. My hand drifted to my chest, finally free of the cold chill that had tormented me for so long, my countdown towards death.

The relief was staggering—I hadn’t realised how heavy that darkness had been.

Now I could breathe again, really breathe, without that crushing weight pressing against my lungs. “What happened?”

“Magdalena.” Seb’s gaze drifted past me.

Scattered purple embers danced on the breeze like ethereal fireflies before blinking out of existence one by one.

“She saved you.” He drew a shuddering breath. “For me.”

“Why?” The word came out hoarse .

“Because she saw what you mean to me. The depth of my love.” His forehead pressed against mine. “She chose to break free from Lilith’s hold, even though it meant…” He couldn’t finish.

His arms tightened around me, crushing me against his chest as he buried his face in my neck.

I felt the tremors running through him, heard the catch in his breathing.

Then his hands were running up and down every inch of my body, slipping under my T-shirt to press his hand against my chest, seeing if the chill still marked me.

“Seb—” I swallowed down a lump of emotion. “I love you too. And I’m fine. It’s completely gone.”

His lips curved into a beautiful smile.

My gaze slipped past him to the pond, reaching out with my mind like I had before. Nothing. The water remained still, lifeless. “I… can’t feel the water anymore,” I said, disappointment seeping through me.

“It was the dark magic reaching its peak—like a pressure cooker finally exploding.”

A sound like breaking branches drew my attention. A figure stepped forward—Damien, but not how I first met him. His scaly skin had turned an oily black, stretched tight over elongated limbs. His fingers ended in curved talons, and when he smiled, rows of needle-sharp teeth gleamed in the moonlight.

“Such a waste,” he purred. “All this death, when you could have just given yourself to us willingly.” His eyes fixed on me, hungry and cold. “I could have made it pleasurable, your death. Could have shown you ecstasy beyond imagining.”

My heart thundered against my ribs, but I forced myself to my feet, Seb beside me. “Like you showed those other victims?”

Damien laughed hollowly. “They served their purpose. And there’s still time for you to join them.”

As he stepped towards me, a growl rumbled through the air—low, dangerous, promising violence.

“You will die for what you did. ”

Seb moved so fast my eyes could barely track him—one moment he stood beside me, the next his hand was around Damien’s throat.

Otherworldly strength radiated from him, an aura of raw power that made the air crackle.

Damien’s black eyes widened in shock, his talons scrabbling uselessly against Seb’s grip.

“You dare touch what’s mine?”

Damien broke free, slashing at Seb with razor-sharp claws, but Seb dodged each strike with fluid grace, still possibly feeling the effects of my blood.

Fear flickered across Damien’s twisted features as Seb caught his arm mid-swing and wrenched. The crack of breaking bone echoed across the park. Damien howled, black blood oozing from the wound, but the sound cut off as Seb slammed him into the ground.

“ Por mi amor ,” Seb growled, pinning Damien down. “ Por todas las víctimas. ”

The silver dagger appeared in Seb’s hand, its blade gleaming with an inner light.

Damien thrashed, his confidence shattered, reduced to animal panic.

Seb drove the dagger into Damien’s heart.

Black blood erupted from the wound, turning to ash as it hit the air.

His scream cut off as his flesh crumbled away, leaving nothing but a pile of dark ash.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Seb as he stood, dagger still clutched in his hand, power radiating from him in waves.

Our gazes locked, his eyes ablaze. Perhaps I should have been frightened, but instead I felt drawn to him like a moth to flame.

Blood stained his shirt, his chestnut curls were dishevelled from the fight, but he’d never looked more beautiful.

The silver dagger slipped from his fingers, landing in the grass with a soft thud. The rage melted from his features, replaced by something softer—so human, so vulnerable. He took a step towards me, then another, until barely a breath separated us.

His hand cupped my cheek, thumb brushing over my skin as if checking I was real. I leaned into his touch, my eyes fluttering closed for just a moment .

“Flynn,” he breathed, and even the way he said my name made my heart skip.

When our lips met, it felt like coming home to a place I’d never been.

All the fear, all the running, all the nights spent staring at dark waters wondering about my choices—they crystallised into this perfect moment of certainty.

His kiss was gentle at first, careful, like I might shatter.

But when I pressed closer, something broke in him.

His arms wrapped around me, and suddenly we were drowning in each other, finding air in the spaces between breaths.

This was real. The most real thing. Inevitable. This was falling and flying all at once, and knowing someone would be there to catch you.

When we finally broke apart, I could still feel the ghost of his kiss lingering on my lips, like an echo of everything we could be. Everything we would be.

Seb smiled, that soft, lovely curve I’d only ever seen on his face when he looked my way.

A wolf’s howl shattered the moment, and I became aware the night air was filled with the stench of death.

Bodies lay scattered across Richmond Park—cambions with their flesh half melted, vampires mauled and bleeding, and near the oak tree, a grey wolf lay motionless, its fur matted with blood.

My stomach lurched at the sight, but thankfully it wasn’t Kit—he was limping towards us, favouring his right leg.

Rory followed, golden fur splashed with dark crimson, but his movements still fluid and strong.

Priya was stumbling after them while rifling through a pack around her waist, bandages streaming out.

“Where’s Vale?” Seb snapped.

“The vampires slipped away.” Kit’s voice made me jump. I turned—and immediately regretted it. He stood completely naked, bare to the world. I pointedly snapped my eyes back to Seb’s face. Thank goodness for the darkness.

“They freed Adrian Knox and ran for it. With all the wounded, the pack had no choice but to let them go,” Kit continued. “They’d already lost one life. No sense risking more bloodshed. ”

My gaze once again found the dead wolf, surely an acquaintance of Kit and Rory, if not a friend. Pain twisted in my stomach as a nude female pack member pulled the wolf’s enormous head onto her lap, whispering something into their ear.

Seb sighed deeply, and I knew he’d already absorbed the weight of the death. “Agreed.”

Kit made a grunting sound, and I couldn’t help but notice the way his muscles rippled beneath his skin. Fresh scratches marked his shoulders, already beginning to heal.

“You can stay shifted if you need to,” Seb said. “If the pull of the moon is too much.”

Kit’s jaw clenched, another ripple of tension moving through his powerful frame. “I’ll manage.” His eyes darted between the trees. Something about his stance changed—less wolf, more soldier.

“Kit.” Seb’s voice was gentle but firm as he gripped Kit’s shoulder. “Are you with us?”

Kit’s eyes had taken on a glassy quality, fixed on some distant point. His chest rose and fell in quick bursts.

“Talk to me,” Seb pressed, stepping closer. The tenderness in his voice surprised me—I’d never heard him speak to anyone that way except me. “What do you need?”

For a moment, Kit remained frozen. Then he drew in a deep breath through his nose, held it, and released it slowly. A ghost of his usual wry smile tugged at his lips.

Kit’s hand came up to pat Seb’s where it gripped his shoulder. “Nothing to worry about, boss. I’ll call Maxwell, get him on this cleanup.”

Nodding at Kit once, Seb straightened his shoulders as he shifted into leader mode, barking other instructions. The familiar, commanding tone was back, though his hand kept finding ways to brush against mine.

“Thank you,” he told the wolves who’d fought alongside us.

With blood-soaked fur, and the full moon illuminating their pained eyes, they pressed tightly together.

They’d lost one of their own, whereas we’d gotten lucky.

“We couldn’t have done this without your support.

You’ve done London a great service. Our children will sleep safer tonight.

But my deepest condolences for your lost family member. Killigrew Street will remember this.”

Most of them melted into the shadows, leaving just our core team. Tension still radiated from Seb—Vale’s escape clearly bothered him. I wished he wouldn’t dwell on that failure. We’d won. We’d survived.

I squeezed his hand. “Hey. We did it.”

The hard line of his mouth softened. “We did.”

We reached the van, and I automatically slid into the passenger seat beside him, shooting him a grin as I clicked the seatbelt in. The engine purred to life, and Felix’s voice crackled through the speakers.

“Congratulations on not dying horribly! Also, I’ve got some absolutely spectacular footage of everything. The bit where Seb went full vampire batman? Pure cinema.”

“Felix,” Seb growled, then muttered to me, “That kid has certainly come out of his shell. I blame you.”

“Just saying, boss. This is definitely going in my highlights reel.”

Priya’s voice cut in. “Felix, go warm up the milk. I’m making everyone hot chocolate when we get back.”

“With marshmallows?” I asked hopefully.

“Obviously. What am I, a monster?”

“So,” Rory chimed in. “Am I allowed to give Flynn his codename now? Because I’ve brainstormed several options. First up…”

I caught Seb’s eye, and we shared a smile. His hand found mine across the console, our fingers intertwining like they’d always been meant to fit together.