Page 18 of Mourning Wings (Whitmore Legacy #1)

17

VALERIA

W e push through the main doors, and just as we hit the grand staircase outside, a deafening explosion rocks the air. I drop to my knees, instinctively shielding my face with my arms.

The heat slams into us like a wall, and I can barely make out the towering flames now consuming the mansion.

Ronnie pulls me up, and we stumble down the marble stairs, my legs shaky from the adrenaline and the sheer magnitude of what just happened. I feel a sharp pain in my side where a piece of debris must have struck me, but I barely register it over the rush of relief.

At the bottom of the steps, we collapse, sitting on the cold stone, panting heavily. The mansion behind us is an inferno now, a fiery beacon against the dark sky. The flames roar and crackle, and the heat is intense, but it feels strangely comforting.

I glance at Ronnie , whose face is smeared with soot and blood, a wild look in her eyes. She breaks into a shaky laugh, and I can’t help but join her. The laughter comes out as hysteria, the kind you only have when you’ve just come out of a nightmare.

Ronnie fumbles in her pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. She waves it in front of me with a triumphant grin. “ Smoke ?” she offers.

I manage a tired smile, reaching into my own pocket for the box of matches. I hold it up, wiggling it between my fingers. “ I grabbed these before the place started burning, just in case.”

Ronnie takes a cigarette from the pack, holding it out to me. I accept it, and she lights it. After the tip catches fire, she sparks her own, and we both inhale deeply.

“ Hell of a way to end the night,” I say, taking a long drag. Ronnie laughs in response.

I chuckle, shaking my head. “ I can’t believe we actually did it, Camila — Ronnie ,” I correct myself. “ I found you. And all those women… No more.”

Ronnie nods, her expression softening. “ It’s over, and I’m not going anywhere this time.” Her face morphs into something with a hint of amusement. “ Remember when you thought you were just going to sneak in, grab some info, and leave?”

I laugh, despite the pain in my side. “ Yeah , I remember. That was before we blew the place up and had to run for our lives.”

“ Quite the twist,” Ronnie says, a smirk now playing on her lips. “ But look at us. It feels almost poetic.”

I lean back against the stone steps, feeling the heat on my skin. “ Poetic and a bit absurd.”

Ronnie takes another drag from her cigarette, the embers glowing brightly in the darkness. “ Guess we’re the last ones standing, huh, butterfly? Mors tua, vita mea. ”

I smile, leaning forward to capture Verónica’s lips in a searing kiss.

“ Mors tua, vita mea.”