Page 31 of The Midnight Death Match

There’s a heartbeat of silence. I look away, unsure if I’m grateful or angry he still believes in something I no longer can.

“You don’t know what the curse will demand,” I say. “None of us do.”

“I don’t care. We’ll get through it.”

I meet his gaze. Something raw passes between us. We’re closer than we’ve ever been, and yet impossibly far apart.

He breaks the moment, rising to his feet. “I’ll take the first watch.”

Without another word, he steps through what remains of the doorway. I’m left with only the fire and my thoughts. For some reason, a lump forms in my throat.

My hunter’s sword pulses softly in its sheath, as if reminding me it’s still listening.

Einar sits a few paces beyond the firelight, half-shadowed, hunched over the map like it might confess something new if he stares hard enough.

I approach softly, lower myself next to him.

He glances at me. “You should get some sleep.”

“What about you?”

“I’m used to fighting the evil fae. Been doing that at least a century longer than you’ve been alive.”

It’s hard to argue that point, so I change the subject. “I thought she left because she didn’t love you.”

Einar looks like he’s holding back a smile. “So youdodeflect.”

My face flames. “That was a private conversation. Andyou’redeflecting. Maybe I get it from you.”

He doesn’t flinch. “I never fully understood why she left, but it wasn’t because she didn’t love me.”

Silence stretches. I’m the first to break it. “She left because she didn’t want us to be enemies.”

He nods once. “I believe that was a big part of it. She was convinced there had to be a way to break the cycle, or at least delay it. Unfortunately, she never found the answer she sought.”

“And now?”

He finally meets my gaze. “I think she hoped you would find what we couldn’t.”

I study his face—lined with quiet anger and restraint. A man who’s learned to live with impossible weight.

“I hated you for a long time,” I whisper. “Worse, I didn’t think of you at all.”

“I hated myself longer,” he says, voice low. “But the moment I saw you, I knew she’d been right to leave.”

That catches me. “Why?”

He looks away. “Because you don’t just carry her blood, you carry her conviction. I see it every time you argue with me.”

Despite everything, a small smile tugs at my mouth. “So, I’m stubborn?”

He snorts. “You’re her daughter.” A pause. “And mine.”

The fire flickers between us.

“I want to try,” I say. “Not to kill each other, but to fight together.”

His jaw tightens, but he nods slowly. “I know, and we will. But I’m prepared to go the traditional route if need be.”