Page 47 of The Midnight Death Match

My shoulders sag forward. My forehead almost touches his chest before I catch myself. I freeze, realizing how close we are.

Harek doesn’t move. His hands stay, not restraining, but holding. “You don’t have to fight this alone. You never did.”

His words settle into my chest like a weight—not heavy, but undeniable. For a moment, I want nothing more than to let myself sink into that safety. Into him.

But then the guilt rises. The memory of Lys’s voice. His offer given with certainty. And my own weakness in wanting to hear more.

I stiffen, straighten. The distance between Harek and me returns in a breath. I pull my hands free. “I’m fine now.”

Harek watches me for a moment—his eyes still full of concern, but also hurt and frustration. “Stop saying that.”

I don’t respond. Instead, I turn away, needing space I can’t explain. Needing distance from him, from myself, and from everything.

Harek mumbles something I can’t make out.

Part of me wants to turn and make everything better. But I can’t do that. Not with so much on the line. If he follows me on this path I have to take, he could get hurt.

Or worse.

I can’t risk anything happening to the one person who means more to me than anyone else.

So I walk away from the firelight, slipping between the half-broken pillars. The ruins seem to sigh around me, heavy with ancient weight.

I don’t look back but feel his eyes on me. Not angry or blaming. Just waiting, like he always does.

That’s what terrifies me most.

Because I don’t know how long I can keep asking him to wait while I drift further into something I can’t see. Something I may not be able to stop.

Behind me, Harek exhales. He doesn’t follow.

And I hate how much that relieves me.

Chapter

Eighteen

Something’s off.Wrong. I snap fully awake, hand already gripping my sword. Its etchings light up, confirming the fear that woke me. A warning flare ignites along my palm, the glow starting faint but quickly brightening.

Einar, expression cold and focused, strides past me without looking my way.

“What’s going on?” I leap to my feet, still not fully awake.

He finally turns in my direction. “People have entered the city.”

My stomach drops. “People?”

“Wearing matching uniforms. Looked like they were on a mission. They didn’t even notice us or the dragons. I sent Harek and Vash into the sky to get a better idea of what’s going on.”

“And nobody woke me?”

“You’re awake now.”

My mind races. “Did you recognize the uniforms?”

Now my father paces. “No. Neither of us did, though Harek thought they looked familiar.”

“What did they look like?” I join him in pacing.