The golden edge of Adrian’s blade trembled against Daniel’s throat, the heat searing through the steel of his collar. One flick of his wrist, one fraction of a breath, and the man would fall.He wanted to, God, he wanted to, but then his gaze shifted, past the enemy soldier’s visor, past the blood and the storm, straight into Selene’s eyes.Eyes wide with tears. Eyes begging him not to, The sight tore him apart.Adrian’s glow surged hotter, fueled by rage. He’s Council. He betrayed your mother. He’s here to take her away from you, Every instinct screamed for blood, but Selene’s trembling voice cut through him. “Adrian… please…”He felt it then, her hesitation. Not just fear of violence. Not just horror at the chaos. But something deeper, Hope.Hope that her brother wasn’t the monster Marcus claimed, Hope that Adrian wouldn’t kill him, That hesitation cut sharper than any blade.Daniel smirked faintly, despite the searing light at his throat. “You see it, don’t you? She doesn’t trust y

His knees buckled, his breath ragged, yet his eyes never left hers.“Selene…” His voice rasped like glass breaking. “You shot me?”Her chest heaved, bile rising. Her hand shook so violently the gun nearly slipped from her grip. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. She had wanted them to stop, but her hand had chosen for her.“No,” she whispered, the denial shattering in her throat. “No, I didn’t”But she had, The muzzle still smoked, and Adrian, Adrian was staring at her as though he had never seen her before.His glow dimmed for a fraction, not from weakness, but from something worse. A hollow disbelief that cut deeper than any blade.“You shot him,” Adrian said, low and sharp, his voice trembling with something she had never heard from him before, Not rage, Not command, Fear.Selene’s knees buckled, but she forced herself upright, the pistol quivering. “I, I had to stop you both”“You stopped me from ending him,” Adrian snapped, stepping forward, his blade still blazing. “You saved

Adrian stood rooted, his body ablaze with that otherworldly glow, but his lips remained sealed. His silence carved deeper than any blade.Damon chuckled, the sound smooth, poisonous. “Look at him. A soldier to the end. He’ll let you bleed before he admits what you already feel in your bones.”The soldiers shifted uneasily, fingers tightening on triggers.Daniel groaned from the corner, clutching his wound. “Go on, brother. Prove me wrong for once. Tell her she mattered more than the mission.Selene’s knees weakened. Her throat closed, Mission, Assignment, Betrayal. The storm outside slammed against the glass as if the world itself demanded an answer.Adrian finally spoke, his voice a growl torn from the depths of him.“Selene… I never wanted to hurt you.”Her tears blurred her sight. “Then why won’t you deny it?”Because he couldn’t. She saw it in the way his fists clenched, in the way his glow flickered, in the shadows of his eyes.Damon smiled wider. “Because the truth would destroy

I clawed at his arm, fury choking the fear in my throat. “Let me go!”He tightened his hold, the metal pressing harder against my skin. “Oh, Selene… I’ve waited too long for this moment. You deserve to know why Adrian Kane has always been nothing but a shadow in your life. Why he could never love you without bleeding.”My chest heaved. His words were poison, but part of me, some traitorous, broken part, needed to know.The corridor stretched ahead, lit by the strobing violence of lightning through broken windows. Damon’s boots crunched glass with every step, his movements graceful despite the storm. He wasn’t rushing. He didn’t have to.“Your mother,” he said softly, almost tenderly. “Beautiful, tragic woman. Did you know she begged for her freedom before the end?”The world tilted. My breath caught. “Don’t you dare speak about her”“Oh, but I will.” His voice was silk, wrapping around my throat. “Because she’s the thread binding us all. Adrian, your family, the mission that ruined hi

Adrian’s face twisted in anguish, his chest heaving as if the weight of the world pinned him down.“You were never a mission,” he said, his voice breaking. “You were everything.”Damon sneered. “And yet he never told you. He let you love him blind.”“Because the truth would kill her!” Adrian roared, his glow exploding into white fire.The corridor rattled, glass shattering, the storm feeding his fury, but it was too late, because the memory kept uncoiling, burning through me.My mother’s voice, trembling now, as if she’d known the end was near:“You will carry the Eye, Selene. You will guard it, even from yourself. And one day, he will come for you. He will stand between you and the abyss.”The Eye, The word ripped through me, searing into my chest. My knees buckled. I pressed my palm against my heart, and for the first time I felt it, something there, buried beneath flesh and bone. Something that pulsed with power.Adrian’s face blanched, horror flashing in his eyes as he saw my han