Chapter Thirty-Three Stay.
"What is grief, if not love persevering?"
Adan felt the cold grip close around her neck, strong fingers digging into her skin. Before she could react, the sharp scent of the High King's cologne hit her nose, mingling with the smoke and blood that filled the air. Her heart skipped a beat, her pulse quickening in a mix of panic and fury.
Cias.
His voice was a low growl in her ear, a whisper filled with cruel intent. "Stop moving."
She froze at his commanding tone--magic lacing in every syllable.
Her body tensed as his hands moved, tightening around her in a way that felt far too familiar.
He was pulling her closer, using her as a shield—his breathing slow, deliberate, like he was savouring the moment.
His fingers grazed the collar at her neck, and Adan could feel the cold iron biting into her skin.
With every fibre of her being, she fought against the paralyzing magic in his voice, pushing back with every ounce of her will. She could feel her mental walls holding steady, blocking his influence from reaching the core of her.
But Cias didn't know that--didn't know what she was. She needed to get this collar off before she could show him what she was truly made of. Her fire still hidden behind the iron collar, slowly driving her mad.
Cias ripped a dagger from her hand and held it to her neck. Adan's breath caught in her throat, but she didn't let the fear overwhelm her. "Let go of me, you coward," she snarled, her voice rough but laced with a fury that burned deep.
His laugh was low, mocking. "You're still a pet, even now."
She was done being his puppet.
Nox's growl rang out, a deep, guttural sound, and Adan's gaze flicked to him just in time to see the moment his sharp scaled wings raked across Darius's chest, blood splattering into the air.
Cias's hold on her was firm, unyielding, forcing her to watch Nox fight his son. Uncaring that he might lose his future heir.
Adan's pulse hammered in her ears as Cias's grip tightened, the cold, unforgiving pressure on her throat making it harder to breathe.
Her heart twisted as she watched him battle Darius with a ferocity she'd never seen before.
Blood splattered, painting the air, and Adan's chest tightened.
It was difficult to concentrate, to think clearly.
In a blur of motion, she whipped her elbow back with all her strength, catching Cias square in the ribs. His breath faltered, a grunt escaping his lips as he staggered back, momentarily loosening his grip.
She didn't waste the opportunity. Adan spun, twisting in his hold, only for his fist to land square against her jaw. The pounding pain was instant, and she spat blood and teeth on to the sand. Cias hauled her back up, fingers digging into her arm painfully as the world spun.
The blade back at her neck, his hands pinning her back to his front.
"STOP!" Cias yelled to Nox, but it was too late.
His blades already sunken deep into his son's chest.
One angled below his ribs, and the other directly into his heart.
In the last seconds of Nox's defiance, he turned and ripped the blades with malicious intent.
One that Darius Dreadmore would have no hope of surviving.
Adan couldn't help the ghost of a smirk that bloomed on her face. It quickly faded when she realized why he was standing so still, frozen. His hands at his side, blades dripping blood on to the sandy flood.
As Darius's body fell to the flow in a heap, Nox straightened not looking to Adan, but Cias. His eyes devoid of fire, glazed like her brother had been the night he killed her family.
Nox stood like a soldier waiting for his masters next command.
Adan's heart skipped a beat as she saw it—the cold emptiness in Nox's eyes. Her stomach twisted, dread creeping up her spine like a shadow.
No.
She tried to wrench herself free from Cias's grasp, her fingers trembling from a mix of fury and fear. But the High King held her firmly, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
"Look at him," Cias said, his voice low, taunting. "He is mine now."
Adan's throat burned as she fought the urge to scream, the rage bubbling up from deep inside her. She couldn't let this happen—not to him. Not to Nox.
"Nox!" she yelled, her voice raw with desperation.
For a heartbeat, the world held still. The sounds of the arena, the chaos, the screams of the crowd—they all faded into nothing. There was only her voice, calling out to him, calling him back.
"You really think you can get through to him?" Cias mocked, his cold breath against her ear. "He's mine now. Just like you."
Cias pushed her forward, into Nox's arms.
He dropped the blades at his feet and caught her.
His head tilted ever so slightly. His body tensed, but it was as if he was fighting against some unseen force.
She felt him slip something into the pocket of her leathers, before roughly holding her arms to her sides.
The words felt like poison, but Adan's resolve hardened. Whatever Nox had just done--he was still in there, still fighting. Adan's heart pounded as she let out a breath, steadying herself, focusing on Nox's eyes. She could feel the heat beneath her skin, the anger, and the fire.
"Nox," she whispered this time, imploring he comes back to her.
"I want you to kill her." Cias stepped up, and handed Nox the blade that he had held to her neck moments ago.
Still wet with her blood, as his hand shook reaching for the pommel.
Nox's fingers closed around the hilt slowly, like he was moving through water—thick, unwilling.
His hand trembled, knuckles white as he stared down at the blade.
Adan didn't flinch. Didn't move. Her breath hitched, but she didn't pull away from him. She just looked up at his face—at the war waging behind those haunted eyes. The way his jaw clenched. The way his body tensed.
He was still in there.
Nox didn't move. His grip on her arm faltered.
He had once told her that this was his worst fear. Being forced to kill someone he loved.
"Kill, Lennox," he said, voice smooth with control. "Kill, and you'll finally be free."
Adan could see the command take form, even as he tried to fight it with his whole heart.
Her eyes filled with tears as she watched his silent battle of wills. Her voice cracked, her eyes sliding closed in acceptance. "I love you."
But the blade never touched her, her eyes opened in hope only to widen in utter shock.
Nox, in his last second of defiance, had sunken the blade into his own heart. Adan's heart stopped as her mis-matched eyes, blurry from tears, dropped to the knife protruding from his chest.
Her scream tore from her throat before she could stop it.
"No!"
The sound ripped through the burning chaos like a lightning strike, wild and unrestrained.
Adan's hands flew to Nox's chest, to the hilt of the dagger embedded in him.
His blood was warm—too warm—pouring over her fingers as he sank to his knees, taking her with her.
His arms still around her like he'd meant to shield her from this one last thing.
His eyes, dimming but still locked on hers, were his again—no glaze, no command, just the raw, broken truth of what he'd done.
"You idiot," she sobbed, clutching his face in both hands. "Why would you—why would you—"
His lips moved, barely a breath. "I love you. Always."
She pressed her forehead to Nox's, her fingers trembling, soaked in red.
"Don't you dare die. Don't you fucking dare! I am not losing you too."
The collar still clung to her neck, iron, and suffocating.
Her hands clutched desperately at his bloodied shirt, at the fading warmth of his body.
"Nox, stay with me," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Please. Please, just hold on."
Cias was laughing above them--but Adan couldn't hear anything other the pounding of her heart in her ears.
His eyes fluttered, trying to focus on her. His bloody hand reached up, cupping her cheek, his thumb rubbing over the scarred tattoo. His hand trembling and slick with blood, she cupped it with her own, keeping him close.
"Burn for me." His words nothing more than a murmur.
She cursed fiercely, pressing her palm over his wound, as if sheer will could keep the blood in his body. "You don't get to do this. You don't get to die in my arms, Nox."
His eyes softened with something like peace, but it terrified her. That look—like he was letting go.
"No, no, no, don't you dare," she begged, pressing her body over his. "Stay." His fingers slipped from her cheek, his breathing faltering. "Stay." She sobbed.
But his eyes had already begun to close, his lips parting with a final exhale. His body grew heavier in her arms.
Adan let out a sound that was less human and more grief given voice—a raw, primal cry that shook the air around her.
"Stay. Stay. Stay." She clutched him tighter, rocking them both like it would force life back into him.
"Stay. Stay. Stay." Tears fell freely, pouring down her face as Adan held on.
'Stay. Stay. Stay.' She repeated like a mantra in her head, hoping to reach him. But it was no use--
Lennox Hollow was dead.