Chapter 37
Kael
The room went silent when Priest walked toward Lilith.
My eyes locked onto Bria. She looked shaken, but she gave me a brief nod that said, I’m alright, handle what's needed.
Miyori was trying to push herself up, her hands slipping in her own blood. She made a sound—raw, broken, desperate—like an animal watching its mate walk into a trap.
"No—" she gasped. "Priest, no—"
Maya caught her before she could take two steps, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her back.
"Let me go! Let me go—"
"Stop, Miyori, stop—"
Miyori fought her, clawing at Maya's arms, trying to twist free, blood smearing across both of them. Her voice cracked into a sob. "He's leaving me—he's leaving with her—"
"I know." Maya's voice was tight, almost shaking. "I know. But you're not running after them with half your face open and him surrounded by men with guns. Sit the fuck down."
Miyori tried to shove her off again. Maya pinned her harder, her forehead pressed to Miyori's temple, whispering something too low for the rest of us to hear. Miyori's sobs turned into wheezing. She stopped fighting, but she didn't stop crying.
I stepped forward, my voice low. "Calm down."
Miyori's head snapped toward me, one eye swollen shut, the other wild with rage and grief. "You don't get to tell me to calm down—"
"Priest knows what he's doing." I held her gaze. "He knows that woman like a book. Lived with her for years. We had a plan before we even walked through that door. He'll be back."
Miyori stared at me, her chest heaving as fresh tears cut tracks through the blood on her face. She didn't respond; she just shook, held tight in Maya's arms.
Then the night outside lit up. I’d been waiting for this moment. We had men outside; we just needed her out there, away from our women.
Gunfire—rapid, staccato, like firecrackers. Muzzle flashes lit up the windows, painting the dark in jagged bursts of light.
Caine screamed, "Basement. Now."
The women moved. Zia was already there, reaching for Caine as soon as we entered, her hands on his face checking him for blood. He caught her wrists and held them.
"I'm fine. I'm fine."
The basement was cold, concrete, with walls thick enough to muffle the sound. We stood in the dark and listened.
Ten minutes passed—it felt like hours.
Then the gunfire stopped. Silence followed for maybe half a minute.
The basement door opened, and Priest walked down the steps.
His face was splattered with blood, his shirt soaked. Swinging at his side, held by her hair, was Lilith's head—her eyes still open, her mouth frozen in a silent scream.
He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at Miyori. "I made sure the bitch was dead this time."
Miyori stared, and then her knees gave out.