Page 121 of Forbidden Empire

They’d be fine.

I lunged forward, adrenaline hot and reckless, chasing her into the dark, following every wild step as bullets tore through the air around me.

One clipped my arm, pain exploding, sharp and immediate, but I shoved it aside, teeth bared, rage at Esme burning brighter with every stride.

I wouldn’t stop. Not for anything.

Twenty-Three

ESME

The scent of sawdust and gunpowder clung to my skin, a rough, gritty haze burning in my lungs as I sprinted up the stairs.

I’d caught sight of Rhea on the balcony, laughing, drinking, like she was a queen presiding over carnage, and the fury that slammed into me was primal and hot, obliterating all reason.

My grip tightened around my weapon as I took the steps two at a time.

The world narrowed to the cold metal door ahead, the threshold I knew would unleash chaos the second I breached it. Rhea had ducked behind her guard, but I could feel the others lurking, their presence thick and unspoken.

Somewhere behind me, Aidon’s voice crashed through the haze, shouting my name. I ignored him. I’d deal with that later.

My hand closed around the door handle, ready to rip it open, when the pounding of footsteps sounded behind me. I spun, pulse stuttering, only to find Aidon storming up the stairs, his face twisted in fury. Dark, dangerous, and commanding.

God, it was fucking hot.

For a split second, I wanted to shove him against the wall, sink to my knees, and swallow him whole, tasting that wild,forbidden heat as the world burned around us. The image flashed through me, sharp and electric.

But Aidon? He’d never let me. Not when he was this angry.

Especially not now, with blood and adrenaline singing through both our veins.

“I told you to stay close to me!” Aidon’s eyes were blazing, nearly unhinged.

“Did you?” I tilted my head, feigning curiosity, though I could feel the sharp heat of rebellion sparking in my chest. Maybe I was baiting him, but I didn’t give a single fuck.

“Look,” I said, “we came here to destroy Rhea. That’s the mission. I’m not the one off task.”

“Off task? Off task, Esme?” he shouted, face twisted in disbelief. “This is a goddamn war zone! We’re fighting for our lives, not punching a clock at some shitty mall!”

“Don’t you think I fucking know that?” I shot back. “I’m the one who took the beating, Aidon. Or did you forget already?”

His jaw flexed, muscles working as he glared at me. “You aren’t doing this alone.”

“That was never my plan,” I hissed, every syllable laced with venom. “We’re supposed to do this together. That’s what you said.”

For a heartbeat, the fury in his eyes flickered then softened. “Fine. Together. But don’t you dare run off like that again.”

I arched a brow, refusing to break his gaze.

Ignoring the warning, I asked, “Ready?”

He still thought he could cage me, order me around, but I’d never let him win that easily. If I needed to run, I would. And nothing, not even he, would stop me.

“Stay behind me,” he growled, stepping forward to shield me, as if I was something fragile, breakable.

“No,” I snapped, matching his intensity. “We fight together, side by side. That’s what you promised me, Aidon. Don’t you dare forget it.”

I met his gaze head-on, holding it, daring him to push back. The echo of gunfire in the warehouse fractured the silence, then stopped, so abruptly it left us both frozen, breath caught.