Chapter 26 #2
“Now,” I say, straightening up, “do you want to end up like them?” I nod toward the dead bodies around us. “Because I suggest you get the hell out of here before I kill you and send your pieces as a present to the queen bitch. Nobody comes for mine and lives, not again.”
The two exchange a tense glance before shoving Drew and Daleyza forward. Daleyza stumbles against me, and somehow—despite the sharp, searing pain stabbing up my back and the haze clouding my vision—I hold us steady.
Cowards.
For a fleeting second, I catch my breath, the crushing weight of worry easing just enough to let me think straight. But before they could make it out the door with their tails tucked between their legs, the world shifted.
Suddenly, something moves with ruthless precision—heads roll across the floor, and it feels like the room closes in.
Darian stands amid the wreckage, his face angry.
His eyes are sharp, dark storms of fury and cold calculation.
As they lock onto me. His sword is gripped tightly, gleaming with deadly intent, an extension of the rage taking over him.
He doesn’t hesitate. With the silent menace of a predator, he moves forward—every step heavy and precise with promise of destruction.
“I shouldn’t have let you back into my life or into theirs.”
He moves through the wreckage with calmness, stepping over the bodies and shattered furniture like it isn’t there. Daleyza holds onto me tightly, edging forward, trying to put herself between me and her brother.
But she doesn’t need to, even if I appreciate it. I’m not helpless, especially when it comes to him.
Drew squares up beside me, a steady support. “She’s not to blame for any of this.”
Darian’s glare cuts through the room like ice. “That’s a lie. I’ve been standing outside a room listening to Ronan and Kieran getting tortured because of her.” His finger jabs at me, voice laced with fear. “Explain why I shouldn’t drag her back to save them? She means nothing to me.”
His words slam into me. My grip on his sister tightening, the weight of it all pressing down on my chest.
“If you take me, I lose the chance to save them. To save you.”
His face hardens. “I don’t need saving.”
“Yes, you do.” I fire back, pain shooting through my side, but I stand firm. I can’t let it take over.
“She just saved us.” Drew snapped. He glanced at me over his shoulder, his arm slipping around my waist to steady me. “If it wasn’t for her, we’d be dead. So, cut her some damn slack.”
Darian's eyes didn’t waver. “That doesn’t change the fact that she’s the reason we were in this mess to begin with.”
I pushed forward, slipping between the twins to stand square in front of the one person besides my mother who meant the world to me.
“You think I wanted any of this?” My voice was rough, brittle with anger and pain. “That I want them to get hurt?”
“You’re a walking disaster. Nobody would even care if you fucking died.”
I didn’t hesitate. My palm connected hard with his cheek. “Fuck you.”
His head snapped to the side, but instead of anger, I saw something emptier—a hollow shadow where love and happiness used to be.
My chest twisted painfully, a cold ache spreading through me.
For a second, I catch a glimpse of the ghost of who we were—and realise I might lose him forever.
Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away.
Some fractures don’t mend, no matter how much you want them to.
And more people need me who have taken a piece of my heart, too.
A hand lands on my shoulder, but I brush it off—too afraid to hurt anyone. Every part of me is fighting against the magic as it tries to break free. Fighting against the agonising pain attacking my body from the inside.
“I really hope you find a way to get over yourself. All the hate between us? It could’ve been fixed if you’d just asked me what happened that night.”
He glares down at me with his hypnotising hazel green eyes that reminded me of the forest.
“Lucky for you, you won’t have to deal with me much longer,” I step closer—closer than he probably wants, closer than I am comfortable with, but I don’t care anymore.
I’ll most likely be dead soon anyway.
The strong scent of frosted pine, worn leather, and a faint hint of honey fills my lungs. I hate how familiar it is—how it slips under my skin and settles there, like it's meant to be.
“Look after them,” I whisper, the fight draining out of me as I turn away.
Part of me aches to save him—from the darkness Vespera is infecting him with and changing him into someone I don’t even recognise. But the truth is, I might never get the chance.
What I can do is save Ronan and Kieran, hurt that bitch enough to give them a shot at escaping and hiding from her. But no matter what, I’ll fight with everything I have to stay alive.
My body screams at me in protest, then a small, warm hand catches mine before I can take another step out of here. Daleyza. She looks at me, eyes glassy with unshed tears, before signing.
You can’t do this alone.
My breath hitches, and I squeeze her hand in mine, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. I have spent my whole life fighting alone—and I don't know how to do anything else.
I push a loose curl from her face, and before I can say anything, another hand takes mine.
Drew.
“My brother's a dick,” he says, “but you can’t leave. If you do, I’m coming with you.”
I give him a soft smile as I fight the urge to cry.
“We are coming with you.” Daleyza signs, just after she nudges her brother.
“Don’t be an idiot, Drew,” Darian mutters from behind me.
I ignored him because Drew was still holding my hand, and Daleyza was too. I hadn’t known them long, but they cared. They had made me laugh, made me feel normal, and stood up for me against their older brother when they didn’t have to.
My mother used to say it would always be the two of us—her and me—against all the realms and kingdoms.
Then she died.
Now, I’ve found them, and I don’t want to be alone again.
I just need to end Vespera. That part doesn’t scare me—because I know there’s a far more dangerous monster waiting for me when I’m done. And he wears my fate like a crown.
Daleyza throws her arms around me, and I let myself sink into her warmth. Her wild curls brush against my cheek, grounding me. She’s the only one who truly knows who I am—knows the weight I carry—and still keeps it a secret. She doesn’t look at me like I’m broken or dangerous,
Then Drew wraps his arms around both of us, and the pressure in my chest eases just enough to breathe. It doesn’t erase the sting of Darian's words or the pain that is being inflicted on Ronan.
Nobody would even notice if you died.
“You need to go. Now.” Darian’s voice cut through the quietness. Sharp. Commanding. But beneath it, I hear it—the tremor of something unspoken, something that sounds a hell of a lot like fear.
I blink back the tears burning at the edge of my vision, forcing my shoulders straight as I glance at the twins when they let go.
Daleyzas is trying to hold it together, and Drew looks like he’s seconds away from decking his own brother.
I offer them a small, sad smile that feels more like a goodbye than I want it to.
“I’ll see you soon,” I lie, voice soft but steady.
Then I turn to Darian once more.
For the first time, his face isn’t stone cold or void of emotion. The anger is still there, simmering beneath the surface, but it’s tangled with something else—grief, dread, desperation. Not for me. But for the two people he can’t protect this time.
“Do everything you can to save them.”
He doesn’t say the rest. He doesn’t have to.
Even if it kills you.
And I nod—because I will. No matter how much anger he threw at me, no matter how many times he tried to convince himself I was the villain in his story… he still wanted me to save them. Still needed me to win.
Even if it meant breaking whatever was left of me to do it.
Even if it meant losing myself entirely.
I leave them all behind, each step heavier than the last, the weight of their lives pressing into my spine like a blade. Behind me, I hear Drew shouting my name, raw and desperate, but I know Darian was holding him back.
But I didn’t dare look back.
Because if I did, I might fall apart completely.
And I didn’t have the luxury of breaking.
Not when everyone depended on me holding it together.