I couldn’t understand him. And I was out of time. I would never get the chance to.
I sighed. “Why are you so angry about my hand? You did this to me.”
Our gazes locked, and it made my soul hurt to see his glare directed at me as he said, “For once, could you watch me? Truly look at me. I want you to see what I do. Who I am.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it. What could I possibly say to that?
He wanted me to look. To witness. To stand by while he destroyed everything I loved—everything I was.
“You ask the impossible! I can’t watch the world end and my family fade.”
“You don’t belong with your family anymore,” he said. “You have a mate.”
My breath caught. He made it sound so simple. Like mating erased the people who raised me. Like love meant choosing him over everything else.
“You’re asking me to let them die.”
“I’m asking you to stand with me.”
“You’re not asking. You’re demanding.”
Luke gripped my arms, nostrils flaring. “I told you to say goodbye. Now watch what I do—fuckingseehow much I’ve sacrificed for what I want.”
I ripped away from him and stood. Seeing my hand like that freaked me out, so I tugged it behind me, but the numbness was still there, forcing me to know.
I had to stop Luke before I lost the ability to grip a weapon. Who knew what state my family was in? The thought alone was sobering. I couldn’t let my misplaced affection for Luke cloud my judgement. He didn’t deserve my love—and he kept proving he didn’t want it.
But that didn’t stop my heart from cracking open every time he looked at me like I was the only thing that ever mattered.
I fumbled with my clothes, awkward with just one working hand. Panic pressed against my ribs—I needed to move before I lost the other.
“Let me help,” Luke mumbled.
“I got it.” I yanked away.
That’s when the change hit. My fading hand flared with sudden heat. Power surged inside me like wildfire. I gasped, overwhelmed—not just by strength, but by fear. This was a reprieve. And reprieves always came with a cost.
I dressed fast and grabbed the dagger at my feet, sheathing it at my side. When I turned, Luke was watching me—tail rigid, pants on, eyes unreadable.
“Let’s go,” I said.
“I need you to listen to me.”
“No.”
“As soon as the gate opens, I want you to hide until I’ve dealt with Harvest.”
“You know I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. You’ll be mortal.”
I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “We’ll all be.”
“That’s what worries me.”
“Luke, you can’t control my reaction to what you’re about to do. You know I’ll do whatever I have to do to stop you.”
“Kara, please.” He caught my wrist again. When I turned toward him, I wished I hadn’t.
