Page 52

H e’s lost his goddamn mind.

No, scratch that—he was never sane to begin with.

Her brother.

Her obsessor.

Her stalker.

The fucking monster in her closet.

“I don’t know why you’re so mad, Silas. She should be thanking me. This family reunion was long overdue.”

Sable flinches at the word family, and it sends something cold and violent clawing up my spine.

She’s trying to keep it together—jaw tight, shoulders squared, but I know her. I know how to read the tremor in her hands.

“This isn’t a family reunion. It’s the final fucking nail in your coffin.”

Jeremy grins, his fingers flexing around the knife like he’s itching for an excuse.

“Don’t you see, Sable?” he murmurs. “You and me—we were always meant to be in this together.”

She makes a sound—a quiet, broken thing that barely escapes her throat.

That’s when I step forward.

Jeremy’s eyes snap to me, but I don’t give him the chance to speak.

“You think that just because you finally got to say it out loud, it means you win?”

“You were never going to win. You were just going to destroy everything while trying,” Sable says.

Jeremy stares at her, his breathing ragged, before his grip loosens slightly. “This isn’t over,” he mutters.

“Yeah, it is.”

And in that instant, Sable’s elbow snaps back hard, catching Jeremy square in the ribs. He lets out a sharp grunt, his grip on her loosening just enough for her to twist free. She stumbles toward me, and I catch her, pulling her behind me as I step forward, grabbing the knife that dropped in between us.

Jeremy recovers quickly, his twisted smirk turning into a snarl. His eyes flick between me and Sable, wild with rage. “You’ll regret that,” he growls, aside and raising his fists. “Let’s finish this.”

I toss the knife behind me, making sure he can’t cheaply grab it. “You want a fight?” I spit. “Let’s go.”

Jeremy lunges first, his fists aiming for my ribs. I sidestep, but he’s fast, his fist grazing my side with enough force to make me wince. The bruised ribs from the fight with Victor flare with pain. I retaliate with a swift jab to his face. My knuckles meet his cheekbone with a satisfying crunch, and he staggers back, blood already trickling from his split skin.

He snarls, wiping the blood with the back of his hand. “You’re gonna have to do better than that.” He comes at me again, this time feinting left before slamming his fist into my stomach. The air leaves my lungs in a violent gasp, and pain blooms in my abdomen.

I grit my teeth and swing my elbow up, catching him in the jaw. The force snaps his head back, but he recovers, spitting a mix of blood and saliva onto the ground.

“Not bad,” he taunts, his voice raspy. “But I’ve been waiting for this. Waiting for the day to be more than your fucking punching bag.”

Jeremy shifts his stance, coming in with a brutal combination of strikes—two quick jabs, followed by a powerful hook aimed at my temple. I block the jabs, but the hook clips my head, sending stars flashing across my vision.

I shake it off, ignoring the throbbing pain, and counter with a vicious uppercut. My fist drives into his jaw, the impact making his teeth clack together audibly.

He stumbles, but instead of falling, he grabs me by the collar, dragging me down with him as he drives his knee into my ribs.

White-hot agony explodes through my side. I feel something crack, the pain so intense it nearly blinds me.

“Silas!” Sable’s voice is distant, panicked.

I shove Jeremy off, gasping as I clutch my side. Every breath feels like fire, but I don’t stop.

Jeremy comes at me again, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. I meet him head-on, ducking under a wild swing and driving my fist into his stomach. He grunts, doubling over, and I seize the moment, grabbing the back of his head and slamming it against the concrete floor.

The sickening crunch of cartilage tells me I’ve broken his nose. Blood pours freely, painting his face red.

He stumbles back, dazed but still on his feet. “You think… that’ll stop me?” he slurs, his voice thick with blood.

I don’t answer. I lunge, aiming a punch at his throat, but he catches my wrist, twisting it painfully. Using his grip, he pulls me forward, slamming his forehead into mine in a headbutt. Pain explodes in my skull, and I stagger back, my vision swimming.

Jeremy presses the advantage, driving his fist into my injured ribs. I cry out, my knees buckling as the pain radiates through my entire body.

But I won’t go down.

Not like this.

With a roar, I push through the pain and deliver a savage punch to his knee. His leg buckles, and he lets out a pained yell, dropping to one knee, meeting me at eye level.

I don’t give him a chance to recover. I grab him by the collar and unleash a barrage of punches, each one fueled by the rage and guilt boiling inside me. Blood sprays with every hit, his face becoming an unrecognizable mess of cuts and bruises. But still, he fights back, landing a desperate punch to my jaw that sends me reeling.

We both collapse to the ground, gasping, bloodied, and battered.

Jeremy scrambles for the knife he tossed earlier, his fingers closing around the hilt.

“Silas, look out!” Sable screams.

Adrenaline surges through me as I lunge forward, grabbing his wrist before he can drive the blade into my chest. We grapple, the knife hovering inches from my throat.

With a guttural yell, I twist his wrist, forcing the blade away. He roars in frustration, but I knee him square in the balls, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Before he can recover, I pin him down, pressing my forearm against his throat. “It’s over, Jeremy,” I growl, my voice barely more than a ragged breath.

Blood drips from both of us, pooling on the stone floor. Jeremy thrashes beneath me, but his strength is fading.

“You lost.”

Jeremy continues to thrash, blood smeared across his face, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. My arms are trembling from the effort of holding him down, but I don’t let up. Not when he’s still fighting. Not when he could lash out again at any second.

There’s commotion coming from a random alcove down one of the hallways in the catacombs.

“Silas!” Dayton’s voice is sharp, urgent, and a second later, he and Levi burst into the room.

Levi’s eyes immediately lock onto Jeremy, his face twisting in disgust. He doesn’t hesitate, pulling a set of zip ties from his jacket pocket. “Hold him still,” he orders.

Jeremy snarls, thrashing harder. “You think you can stop me?” he spits, blood spraying from his split lip. “This isn’t over!”

Levi drops to his knees beside me, his jaw tight as he grabs Jeremy’s flailing arm. “Shut the fuck up,” he growls, yanking the arm behind Jeremy’s back. Jeremy lets out a strangled grunt, but Levi doesn’t give a shit, looping the zip tie around his wrists and pulling it tight.

Dayton moves to Sable, his eyes scanning her quickly for injuries. “Sable, are you okay?”

She nods, her breathing shallow as she leans against the wall, her hands shaking. “I’m fine. Just—he had a knife.”

Dayton’s gaze darkens as he notices the thin line of blood on her neck. “Jesus,” he mutters, cupping her face. “He cut you.”

“It’s shallow,” she says quickly. “I’m okay, really.”

Dayton doesn’t look convinced. He pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and presses it against the cut. “Keep pressure on this,” he instructs.

Sable’s eyes flick to me. “Silas…”

“I’m fine,” I rasp, even though every breath sends a fresh wave of pain through my ribs. “Focus on you.”

Levi finishes securing Jeremy. He forces him to stand. “You’re done,” Levi says coldly. “You hear me? Done.”

“You’re all dead,” he hisses, his voice hoarse. “The Syndicate will come for you. They will come for us all. This is the game they play.”

Levi’s fist clenches, and for a moment, I think he’s going to hit him, but he takes a deep breath. “Let them try.”

Dayton stands, his hand still resting protectively on Sable’s shoulder. “We need to get out of here,” he says, his eyes flicking between Levi and me. “I’ll tell Dredyn.”

Levi nods, but his eyes remain locked on Jeremy, his expression unreadable. “What about him?”

“We bring him,” I say, my voice hard. “I’ll call the Syndicate once we are back.”

Sable looks at all of us and then down at Jeremy. “At least we know we can take him through the catacombs back to the Manor.”

Silas tilts his head, blood dripping from his chin. “What?”