“That I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we both survive tomorrow.”
“Promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“If it comes down to a choice, me or the club, choose the club.”She cuts off my protest with a finger on my lips.“I mean it, Vex.These people are your family.They’ve been your family for longer than I’ve been alive.Don’t throw that away for me.”
“Youaremy family now.”
“Then consider it my dying wish not to be the reason your real family gets destroyed.”She meets my eyes.“Promise me.”
The word sticks in my throat, but the look on her face demands honesty.
“I promise,” I lie.
Because when it comes down to it, when the moment arrives and I have to choose between Tessa and literally anything else in this world, there’s no choice at all.
The pull began two years ago, the second I saw her behind the counter, smiling at strangers.
It sharpened during the nights I kept silent watch outside her home.And it sealed itself the moment I brought her into my world of monsters and magic.
Tomorrow, I’ll choose her when we ride into battle, even if it means burning the whole world down to keep her safe.The bond between us thrums warm and strong, an unbreakable tether refusing to be ignored.Whatever waits on the other side of dawn, we’ll face it together, and God help anything that tries to take her from me.
I’m done holding back, done being cautious, done pretending I’m anything other than completely, irrevocably, catastrophically in love with this woman.Let the devourer come.Let the world end.I will reduce everything to ash before I ever let her go.
Outside, the clock ticks toward midnight, each second dragging us closer to the moment everything changes.The ride begins soon, and with it, the final battle for Tessa’s soul, and for our survival.
Chapter Seventeen
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Tessa
Midnight doesn’t justarrive, it falls, heavy and relentless, swallowing whatever peace the night might’ve offered.The courtyard erupts into motion, every detail a carefully planned maneuver.
Bikes glide into formation with the precision of soldiers lining up for war, headlights flaring through the drifting snow.Engines rumble beneath the cold, their growls vibrating through the ground, through my boots, through my bones.Brothers move with purpose, checking magazines, snapping holsters shut, adjusting armor that looks far too thin for what we’re about to face.
