Chapter 41
The Prey
I stand on the stage, barely clinging to consciousness as my broken body hangs limply. I am a ghostly observer of this unfolding nightmare, detached from reality yet consumed by searing pain that throbs through every inch of my being.
Each breath is a struggle, each movement a torturous feat. I am nothing but a shell, filled with agony and empty of hope.
The Knight family curse grips my mind in a relentless vise, chanting tales of horror and warning, haunting me like a ghostly presence. Passed down from generation to generation, it is a superstition etched deep into the fabric of our bloodline.
Three children born, but only one destined to survive and carry on the legacy. The other two cursed to suffer unimaginable tragedy, their lives sacrificed for the chosen heir’s rise to power.
This is not justice, this is not right, but I gave up on those ideals a lifetime ago. Deep in my bones, I have always felt the looming inevitability of an early death. And now, with a twisted sense of certainty, I can feel the curse seizing me, as though I am simply fulfilling a preordained script written before even my first breath was drawn.
My vision blurs as I sway on my unsteady feet, the stage lights burning too bright in my eyes. The room spins around me, a dizzying blur of colors and shapes.
Suddenly, a deafening crash pierces through the air, like thunder striking too close. My eyes snap open, struggling to focus on the scene before me. But no matter how many times I blink, the sight remains unchanged.
Valentine stands in the doorway, a menacing angel armed with a bow in his hand, his arrows already unleashed. His eyes are scorching, darting around the room in search of his target, and when they lock onto me, a primal ferocity sparks to life within them.
While he throws the bow aside and pulls his knife out, our gazes lock in a fleeting moment. That’s all it takes for my resolve to shatter like glass, a traitorous glimmer of hope threatening to break through.
I can’t afford to waver now. Valentine’s presence can’t shield me from this fate. There is no escaping it, I have sealed it, prepared to welcome the curse as it consumes me completely.
The elegant crowd of twisted creatures cowers in fear, their polished exteriors cracking under the weight of terror. One desperate soul cries out for security, but it’s too late. Valentine is a raging tempest, tearing through the room with raw power and determination.
He seizes a man by the collar, hurling him aside like a discarded toy. A woman screams as he viciously slices through her luxurious fur stole, the sharp blade singing a deadly tune.
“Valentine,” I whisper, though my voice is a ghost’s, too thin to carry.
He’s too late. His desperate attempts to save me are futile, as my mind and body have already been irreparably damaged. I want to scream at him, to spare him the wasted effort, but my voice is a shattered whisper compared to the screams that echo inside me.
He believes he can rescue me, undo the trauma that has consumed me, but I am already lost beyond redemption.
A wave of pure terror washes over me as I watch him take a brutal blow to the ribs. My heart plummets into an abyss of despair and I ache to run to his side, to protect him from harm. But I am utterly shattered, broken beyond repair, and I know that this time, there is no turning back from the edge I am teetering on.
Without hesitation, he thrusts his knife deep into the attacker’s kidney with a force that makes bones crunch and organs burst. A gush of hot blood sprays out in a morbid mist, coating everything in its path with a sickening scarlet hue, reminiscent of a shattered stained-glass window.
My throat constricts as I try to scream out, my voice trapped in a suffocating grip of fear. I want to beg him to turn around, to run and save himself from the oncoming danger. I’m frozen, unable to move or speak, as another assailant charges toward him with a jagged bottle at the ready.
Valentine swiftly sidesteps the attack, the sharp glass grazing his shoulder but he doesn’t even flinch. Without hesitation, he spins around and drives his knife with brutal force into the attacker’s stomach, unleashing a primal scream of rage and vengeance.
The air is thick with the stench of metal and blood as bodies collide in a frenzied dance of violence. The sweet, sickly scent of perfume only intensifies the nausea that churns in my stomach.
Valentine’s roar echoes off the walls, drowning out the screams of his victims as he mercilessly cuts through the guards who dare to stand in his way. His blade is a blur, slicing through flesh with ease. Men fall in a spray of crimson, their shrieks mixing with the horrified cries of the onlookers who are powerless to stop the chaos unfolding before them.
But more guards swarm in, and I watch in helpless agony as they descend upon Valentine. Fists and boots pummel him from all sides, yet still he battles on, his knife darting and slashing. Blood blooms on his shirt, his face contorts in a grimace of pain, but he doesn’t stop. He keeps coming, keeps reaching for me.
“Ruby!” he shouts, his voice raw with desperation. “Hold on!”
Tears burn my eyes, blurring my vision. Oh, Valentine. My beautiful Hunter. He’ll never stop fighting for me, even when it’s hopeless. Even when it’s going to get him killed.
Every nerve in my body screams at me to shout, to urge him to flee for his life. If he stays, everything I’ve fought for will be in vain. I knew John would come for me after I took Michael’s life, but I made the choice to offer myself up as a sacrifice to protect Valentine’s true identi ty. To protect him.
My voice fails me, not even a sound comes out. I can only watch, my heart shattering, as he takes blow after blow, his blood splattering the floor. He’s not invincible, no matter how fiercely he fights. And with every wound he suffers, every drop of blood he spills, a piece of me dies with him.
The world lurches and spins violently, forcing my legs to give out beneath me. I collapse onto the unforgiving stage, my shattered body finally succumbing to the pain. As I plummet, my eyes meet Valentine’s with a laser-like focus.
In his gaze, I see the raw truth he has always kept hidden. The words he never had the courage to utter. He loves me.
He’s here, bleeding and broken, fighting with everything he has because he loves me.
“Fight, damnit!” I scream at Valentine as he lies on the ground, battered and subdued. “You can’t give up now. You have to live for yourself. Choose to survive, Valentine. Don’t let them win.”
I watch as his eyes narrow with a calculated glint, and I wonder if he read my lips. But when he suddenly lurches to his feet, letting out a guttural roar that sends shivers down my spine, I realize he didn’t. With a fierce determination, he charges toward me like a wounded animal ready to attack without reservation or fear.
Amidst the chaos and destruction, a symphony of screams and shouts rings out, accompanied by the deafening sound of wood splintering and glass shattering as bullets zip through the air.
With all hope seemingly gone, I summon every ounce of strength in my body to lift my head, just in time to witness Nick and Jack violently bursting through a newly-formed hole in the wall, weapons drawn and fury burning in their eyes.
At the distraction, Valentine stumbles to the stage, his voice choked with agony as he gasps out my name. “Ruby.” His eyes filled with disbelief and betrayal. “How could you do this? Why didn’t you have faith in me to protect you?”
His words cut like shards of glass, slicing through me with each syllable. I struggle to peel myself off the ground, my body trembling with g uilt and regret as I face the consequences of my actions.
I choke on the ball of emotion lodged deep in my throat, feeling it clawing at my insides like hot coals. It burns and scorches, making it almost impossible to breathe. Every inch of my body is aching with the weight of this overwhelming pain.
Valentine drags his broken body onto the stage, his hand outstretched toward me. I desperately try to move toward him, but my body refuses, the pain ripping through me so intensely that I can barely breathe.
With a violent cough, I force out the words, each one feeling like daggers piercing through my throat. “You came for me,” I stammer, my voice trembling with both gratitude and agony as I watch Valentine struggle to reach me with every last ounce of strength he has left.
“Of course I came for you,” he seethes, voice laced with fury and determination. “I’d claw my way through the depths of Hell to save you.” His eyes burn with an unbreakable resolve.
My lips twist into a grotesque imitation of a smile, baring my clenched teeth and causing searing pain to shoot through my throat. “I-I think you just did,” I croak, my voice strained from the hours of screaming at John’s hand, leaving it raw and red.
“I swear on my life, I will get you to safety,” he declares with fire in his eyes.
I remain silent, my eyes locked on him as he crawls toward me with desperate determination. Each movement is a struggle, his body wracked with agony as he pushes himself to the limits of his endurance.
He stumbles and falls, his once handsome face now twisted in a permanent mask of pain and anguish. But still he persists, driven by sheer willpower and a desperate need to reach me before it’s too late.
As he finally reaches me, I gasp for air and choke on my own words. “It’s too late,” I whimper, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I’m already dying, Valentine,” I choke out, my voice trembling with fear and sorrow.
He opens his mouth to speak, but as I narrow my eyes, he snaps his jaw shut with a resounding click.
“I don’t have much time l-left,” I gasp, my voice trembling with desperation. “Please don’t argue with me. Every breath feels like a dagger in my chest, and I know my time is running out.” My body shakes uncont rollably as I struggle to get the words out, begging for understanding before it’s too late.
He yanks me up by my arms, his grip like iron as he presses me into position against his left side. I cry out in pain as the rough movement rips at the fresh wounds on my back, causing blood to trickle down and stain his shirt.
“What can I do, Pet?” he demands, his tone filled with desperate agony.
My lips tremble as I struggle to stay upright, my body quivering with agony. Desperate for any kind of relief, I cling to him, my fingers digging into his flesh. The pain is unbearable, but the one thing that would make it all disappear is not an option.
With tears streaming down my face, I choke out the words through gritted teeth, “End it… end me.” My plea hangs in the air like a dying breath as I wait for his response, willing to do anything to escape this torture.
He loosens his grip, and for a moment I think he might actually let me fall, let me crumple to the ground where the cold and hard reality can take me as its own. But then his arms encircle me with a gentleness that nearly breaks my already shattered heart.
“Pet,” he whispers, and the single word is a caress, an apology, a refusal all at once.
“Please,” I sob, my face buried in his shoulder, soaking his shirt with my despair. “I can’t do this anymore. The pain—it’s too much. You can make it quick.”
He clutches me with desperate strength, as if he can will the life back into my limp body. “I can’t.” His voice cracks like a whip, the sound of something deep inside him shattering into a million pieces. “I can’t lose you.”
I hold my breath, feeling a spark of hope ignite within me. Is he finally going to say the words I deep down long to hear?
He takes a shaky breath. My heart races in anticipation, but just as I think he’s about to confess his love, he shakes his head. “Is that your last wish? That I be the one to deliver the final blow?”
“Y-yes,” I confess. “You were hired to kill me, and I lo— ”
“Don’t say it!”
I stubbornly ignore his interruption. “I love you, Valentine. I’m in love with you. Why is that so hard to hear?”
The silence that follows is suffocating, a heavy blanket of unspoken emotions and painful truths. Every second stretches into an eternity as I wait for him to respond, to react, to do anything other than sit here holding me in this fragile, contradictory embrace.
“I never meant for this,” Valentine finally says, his voice a ghostly whisper. “For any of this.”
Of course he didn’t mean for this. He was a professional, cold and calculated, never letting emotions interfere with his work. I was supposed to be just another job, a quick and clean execution. But here we are, in this twisted purgatory of our own making.
“Then finish it,” I say more firmly, pulling back to look into his eyes. They are stormy and conflicted, a sea of turmoil. “If you never meant for it to go on this long, then do what you were supposed to do from the start.”
He closes his eyes as if trying to block out the world, as if by not seeing me he can make the decision less painful. I study his face, memorizing every line and angle, knowing this might be the last time I ever see him.
The spark of hope that had briefly flared in my chest flickers and threatens to die.
When he opens his eyes again, there’s a steely determination in them that sends a chill through me. I don’t realize he isn’t holding the knife until he reaches for it, jolting us both with the movement. The blade catches the dim light, a flash of cold silver that makes my breath hitch.
“Valentine,” I say, my voice trembling. “Kiss me. Just once. Please.”
He hesitates, the conflict warring within him plain on his face. Then, with a slow and agonizing tenderness, he lowers his head toward mine. His lips brush against mine but instead of pulling back, he deepens the kiss. His tongue delves into my mouth with a desperate hunger, as if trying to consume the very essence of who I am.
Time collapses in on itself, and for a brief, searing moment, all the pain and fear dissolve into something achingly sweet.
Whe n he finally pulls away, my lips are numb and my heart is a wild, caged thing in my chest. I can taste him lingering, a bittersweet residue of what could never be. He looks at me with an intensity that borders on feral, like a man on the edge of losing everything he holds dear.
“I don’t know if what I feel for you is love,” he begins, confusing me with the abrupt change. “It’s more like an all-consuming fire that rages within me, burning every thought and desire until there’s nothing left but you. You invade my dreams, your smile etched into my mind like a brand, your scent intoxicating and unforgettable.”
He pauses, inhaling sharply.
“You want to know if I love you, I know you do. But no, what I feel for you is beyond love. It consumes me from the inside out, a fierce wildfire that cannot be tamed. It’s an all-consuming force, one that cannot be ignored or denied. Is that love? No, it’s something much more intense and powerful.”
My body shakes with sobs, tears cascading down my face in a never-ending stream. My throat constricts, and I struggle to choke back my words through the overwhelming emotions coursing through me.
“It-it’s love,” I manage to gasp out between hiccups, my heart wrenching with both joy and pain at the realization.
“Perhaps you’re correct,” he ponders. “But if that’s the case, it’s a cruel twist of fate to expect me to end your life.”
Despite his words, he moves so he’s half in front of me, shielding me. Then he raises the knife, resting it against my throat.
“D-do it,” I beg. “It has to be you.”
His intense gaze never wavers from mine as he applies more pressure, causing my eyes to flutter closed. I focus on the feeling of his breath against my skin and the familiar touch of his hand, seeking comfort even in this terrifying moment.
My eyes snap open at the sound of my name being shouted, and I frantically scan. My heart stops as I see Jack’s determined form sprinting toward us, his gun aimed directly at Valentine. But he remains oblivious to the imminent danger closing in on us, and a strangled scream escapes my throat as I realize my brother’s intentions.
“ Val—”
“Do you still trust me, Pet?”
My heart races as I struggle to comprehend his question. “You have to get out of here,” I plead urgently, my eyes darting to where Jack is slowly advancing toward us.
Refusing to relent, he pulls me into his chest, his grip tightening like a vise. “Have faith in me one last time.” His lips crushing mine with an urgency that ignites a fire within me. “I’ll follow you anywhere, my pet. This is not the end, but the start of our journey together.”
I want to tell him he doesn’t know what he’s saying. His back is to Jack, so how can he know? It doesn’t matter, though. I trust him implicitly.
“Don’t let go,” I sob.
“Never.”
A split second later, Jack’s finger tightens around the trigger and a deafening explosion echoes through the air. Valentine’s body convulses violently, as a searing hot bullet pierces my flesh with agonizing force. The pain is excruciating, ripping through me like a fiery inferno, and I try to scream, but only gurgles escape my throat as I collapse to the ground.
“Ruby! No!” Jack’s anguished scream pierces through the chaos of the battle still raging all around us. The battle I forgot everything about the second Valentine reached me.
I try to process his words, but all I feel is a searing pain, like fire spreading through my body. With blurred vision, I see that I am lying in a pool of crimson, my own life force pouring out onto the ground. The world around me fades as I struggle to stay conscious, fighting against the darkness that threatens to consume me.
“Ruby!”
My breath sounds like something caught between a wheeze and a rattle. “V-Va—” I can’t even force his name out.
I try again and again, but he doesn’t answer me. I already know he won’t, but I still have to try. Using every bit of strength that I have left, I turn my head, looking straight into Valentine’s unseeing eyes.
He’s dead and his lifeless body lies flush against mine. Tears blur my vision as the pain becomes too much to bear. I open my mouth, intending to scr eam out my heartache, but no sound or movement follows. My vision fades, my awareness barely existing. I’m cold and immobile—I’m dying next to the man I love.
“Ruby, please!” Jack sounds closer now. “Why the fuck didn’t you get out of the way? This is… no. Ruby, come on. You have to be okay.”
I want to tell him that it’s okay, that it isn’t his fault. But I can’t. I can’t do anything but lie here, entombed in my own body, waiting for the clock to tick down and the curse to claim me.
“Rubes! Come on, speak to me. Hey, it’s going to be okay. You’ll be fine, I promise.”
Darkness takes over, and my very last thought is a happy one; I was loved by Valentine.