She pressed a hand to her chest, tears spilling faster.“But in the wrong hands, at the wrong levels, it becomes a weapon.Caruso took what I created, twisted it, and when they found Boonsri’s body—the markers were all there.The chemical signature was mine.My discovery.My miracle.That’s what killed her.”
The world stuttered.Kamon’s mind raced, snapping through memories, timelines of when she was caught in Bangkok and his sister’s murder aligned, the whispers of tragedy.The autopsy.The compounds.
His stomach dropped to ice.
“Holy fuck,” he rasped, horror clawing at his chest.“Rune—she’s saying it was her.”
Rune’s face darkened, thunder gathering in his eyes.“You ...you killed Boonsri?”
Klarissa flinched, shaking her head violently.“No—I never meant—”
But Kamon saw red, his vision blurring with rage.The air in the dojo thickened, charged with their fury until it was a living, breathing thing pressing against the walls.He and Rune advanced a step, voices harsh and relentless.
“Don’t try to twist this,” Kamon barked, chest heaving.“You said it yourself—you created it.You’re the harbinger of death you warned us about.”
Rune’s snarl was low and guttural, his tiger riding him hard.“All this time—you knew.You let us dream of vengeance when the truth was right there in your hands.”
Klarissa’s lips parted as if to explain, but neither of them gave her space.Their grief was a storm, drowning out everything else.
“You brought death to our family,” Kamon accused, his voice raw.“How the fuck are we supposed to look at you now?”
“And don’t think hiding behind excuses changes it,” Rune spat.“You’re no better than him.”
The words hung like a blade, heavy and unforgiving, their father’s shadow cast over her by their own hands.
Rune’s shout, brutal and sharp.“Our sister’s blood is on your hands!”
“You are like him,” Kamon heard himself shout, grief and rage tangling until he didn’t know where one ended and the other began.“Like Caruso!”
Her whole body jerked as if struck.“Don’t you dare,” she screamed back, anguish shredding her voice.“Don’t you dare compare me to him.You have no idea what he did to me—what I lived through.He tested every formula on me, over and over, healing me only so he could break me again.He killed my mother in front of me when I refused to help him.I bled for every life he took.I carry the stench of death on my skin, the pain layered on pain until I thought I would go insane.Sometimes I went willingly into his hands, not because I couldn’t have escaped, but because if I stayed, maybe I could stop him from choosing another victim.Find out what the chemical compounds he had his tech team develop and figure out a way to neutralize it.I risked everything, over and over, carrying guilt that never lets me sleep, never lets me breathe.And you think I am him?”
The raw truth poured out of her, and Kamon’s fury faltered, doused like water on flame.Shock stole his breath as the weight of her suffering crashed into him—he had never imagined she’d carried so much pain, so much guilt.For a heartbeat he could only stare, his anger unraveling under the truth of what she had endured.
Her chest heaved, eyes blazing.“And your words of forever?Standing here having to defend the indefensible is exactly what I always knew would happen.I was never worthy of love that lasted.You’ve only confirmed it.I am the daughter of the devil, I am responsible for the deaths of hundreds maybe thousands of people, including your—” her voice broke, and she had to take a deep breath.“Your beautiful sister.I am not worthy of a future, not worthy of you.That is what you truly think of me, and who could blame you, right?”Her lips twisted into a bitter smile as tears streamed unchecked.“So, thank you for that.Truly.Thank you for proving me right.”
Something inside Klarissa went out like a light.Her face emptied, her eyes going flat, her skin pale as wax.Silent tears streaked down her cheeks.When she spoke, it was quiet.Final.“Tell your parents I’m sorry.Once I finish Caruso—and I will be the one to end that man—I’ll be gone from your lives.”
She walked past them, shoulders rigid.Kamon’s gut twisted violently, instinct screaming this was wrong.He reached for her.“Wait, Klarissa—”
She turned, eyes dead, voice a whisper that cut deeper than any blade.“Leave me the fuck alone.”
Then she was gone.
Kamon dropped to his knees, agony ripping through his chest as the mate bond within him severed.Beside him, Rune crumpled the same way, both of them hollowed out in an instant.The rooftop spun around them, their breaths ragged, their souls shattered.
What had they done?
