“Here,” Mathias said coolly, tossing the head through the air. “Catch.”
Balthazar had no time to react. The head struck his chest, and instinctively, his hands shot out to catch it.
The moment realization dawned, his face twisted in unspeakable rage.
His fingers clenched around his son’s head, Tristan’s lifeless eyes frozen in a silent, eternal scream.
A wave of revulsion rolled through me.
My legs gave out.
I crumpled to the floor, hands shaking, mind spiraling into darkness.
I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my palms against my face, trying—failing—to block out the horror that surrounded me. But the screams echoed in my mind, a relentless melody of death.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. My breath hitched, shallow, and frantic. I could feel my soul-shattering, splintering into a thousand irreparable pieces.
Balthazar approached me, his lips curling into a twisted grin.
I sucked in a shuddering breath.
My head spun as I fought to untangle the mess of blood and lineage before me.
Mathias—my mother’s biological father—was Emily’s and my grandfather.
Balthazar—the monster standing before me—was Emily’s father.
And Tristan…
Tristan had been born of Balthazar’s blood and an unknown mother.
I felt the foundation of my existence crumbling.
Who was I?
Where did I belong in this nightmare of woven fate?
Chapter 37
Malik
Ilifted my head from the corpse beneath me and inhaled deeply. The body’s essence curled into my nostrils, filling me with life and power.
A sigh escaped my lips as I slid the blade from the dead man’s chest. Rising to my full height, I took in my surroundings—the cobbled street bathed in the waning light, the silence stretching like a heavy shroud.
Four bodies lay at my feet. Four souls were consumed. That should have been enough.
But the hunger still raged.
It gnawed at me, insatiable, a beast prowling the depths of my being. I needed more. More souls. More life to siphon into my own. I would not stop. I could not stop.
My steps were light and soundless as I sniffed and searched the deserted street.
I had abided by my so-called morals for years—only hunting the wicked, the corrupt, the depraved, and had all those I slaughtered tonight fit that category?
I didn’t know.
I didn’t care.
