Page 17 of Daggermouth

The admission caught her off guard as she stared up into his eyes. Men like Jameson didn’t admit fear. They swallowed it down with cheap liquor and let it fester until it poisoned them from the inside out. But here he stood, laying his throat bare for her to cut.

She rose slowly, the gun heavy in her hand. “Fear is a smart thing to feel, it keeps you safe.”

“Then be smart, Shade. Walk away from this one.”

A laugh escaped her throat. “Walk away? You think I can just walk away fromGreyson Serel?” She gestured toward the wall where his masked face stared back at them, punctured with holes from her throwing knives. “That family destroyed everything I ever loved. My life, my—”

“Your parents,” Jameson finished quietly. “I know. But throwing your life away won’t bring them back.”

“Who says I’m throwing it away?” She moved past him toward the lockers, and began pulling out gear. A tactical vest, night-vision goggles, and a drone scanner. “Maybe I’m finally taking it back.”

He watched her pack, each piece of equipment disappearing into her bag strategically. The weight distribution had to be perfect—too heavy and she’d never make it up the elevator shaft, too light and she’d lack the firepower to fight her way out, if it came to that.

“What if I asked you not to go?”

The question stopped Shadera cold. Her hand froze in midair, reaching for a coil of rappelling cord.

“What if I got on my knees right now and begged you to stay?” Jameson’s voice was raw, stripped of its usual cocky edge. “Would it matter?”

Shadera’s throat tightened. She could picture it—Jameson Vine, who’d never bent the knee to anyone, dropping to the concrete floor of her warehouse. The image made her sick, made something twist painfully in her chest.

“No,” she whispered.

It wasn’t a lie.

“Look at me when you say it.”

She turned, meeting his gaze head-on, watching as his eyes raged like an autumn storm. “No, Jay. I wouldn’t stay. And it’s not because I don’t care for you, and it’s not because I have a death wish. I don’t expect you to understand, but Ihaveto do this. I have to do this forme.”

They stood, staring at each other as seconds ticked by, neither knowing what else to say. She wanted to tell him that she’d be back, that she’d make it home safe, but it was a promise she refused to make. So instead, she stayed quiet, memorizing his features until the light on her watch went red, signaling the midnight hour.

It was time.

She felt a sudden, fierce thrill. The kind that came before a kill, before the whole world narrowed to the size of your target. She shouldered her pack, feeling the weight settle against her scars.

She strode toward him as she tightened the holster around her thigh, then took his face in both hands, scarred palms pressing into both cheeks. “You’re a good man, Jay. If all goes well, you will be the first to know when I am back.”

Jameson didn’t ask for her approval, didn’t ask for permission as he pulled her against him, and kissed her hard and angry and scared. Shadera let him, let him have that.

Maybe even let herself have it too.

She pulled away, her forehead resting on his for only a breath before pressing a palm to his chest, and stepping away. A sad smile flickered across her lips as she pushed past him toward the door.

He reached for her hand, stopping her. “Don’t die on me, Shade.”

“I’ll try, but no promises.” She squeezed his fingers, then let go.

A heavy breath seeped out between Shadera’s lips as she slipped through the door, and stepped out into the Boundary.

The countdown started at midnight, and her watch silently ticked away at the seconds. She had two hours and fifty-two minutes to get into the Heart before the next patrol.

Jamesonstoodintheempty warehouse, surrounded by the ghost of Shadera. He looked around at the way she’d left it, and memorized every image he had of her walking inside these concrete walls over the years.

He groaned, dragging his palms down his face as he sat on the edge of the bed, and let his elbows fall to his knees. His fingers absently traced the cooling spot where she’d lain as he let the silence settle over him.

He knew she’d be a legend someday. That her name would be the one people cheered in the streets as change rolled over New Found Haven, he just never imagined the possibility that she might not be there with him to witness it.

Killing Greyson Serel would incite that change, would start the ring war they were already on the precipice of.