Straightening my shoulders, I lift my chin as the vehicles come to a stop about 300 feet from us. I repress a shiver as Renwick steps out of one of the vehicles.
Even at this distance, there’s no mistaking it’s him as he walks toward us alone. Someone calls out after him, but I can’t make out their words. He waves them off, not slowing down.
Tension radiates through those gathered around me, and it takes a determined effort not to seek out my sisters—to seek comfort in their presence.
“We’ve got this, Dalia.” Blaze squeezes my hand in his before quickly releasing it.
My head jerks in a sharp nod, but my eyes never leave Renwick’s approaching form.
“Well, what do we have here?” Renwick tilts his head when he’s close enough to be heard, his eyes scanning the gathered crowd before focusing on the three men surrounding me. “Ahh, you received a warning from the headless horsemen. That’s inconvenient.”
His eyes latch onto mine, darkening with equal parts hunger and hatred. “This would’ve been much easier if I could’ve just snagged you from your bed, then no one would have to die. Come now, Dalia. Return to me willingly, and I’ll leave your sisters and the others to live in peace.”
I snort, shaking my head. “Why in the world would I want to come back to you? So you can lock me in a room and abuse me? I think not.”
“Because you’re my wife. Because we share a blood bond. Because you’re mine.”
“I’m not yours.” I scoff. “I stopped being yours long ago. As far as being your wife and having a bond, I guess now would be a good time to tell you I want a divorce.”
His jaw clenches, eyes flashing. “Divorce isn’t an option, darling Dalia. You know there’s no way to break the blood bond, so why are you bothering to fight me on this? There’s nowhere you can hide from me. I’ll always find you. You’ll never be free of me.”
Titan, Blaze, and Steel tense, their chests vibrating with growls, but I hold up my hand to quiet them.
“How about you get fucked, Renwick?” I suggest with a tight smile. “Because I’m never going anywhere with you again.”
He sighs heavily. “If that’s the way you want to play it, then so be it.” He lifts his hand in the air and snaps his fingers. The next second, men appear behind him.
“Kill the sisters,” he commands, his eyes staying locked on mine.
My head whips to the side just in time to watch two of the men appear behind my sisters, blades sinking into their chests.
The sight tears a gasp from my lips as horror rises in my chest.
Sorrow and anger war inside me as I watch their lifeless bodies crumble to the ground.
They’re not dead dead, I remind myself.
As long as I’m alive, then so are they—no matter how dead they look.
“You act like I can’t bring them back,” I say as I turn my attention back to the asshole who made my life a living hell for so long.
He bares his teeth. “You can’t if you’re dead, too. If I can’t have you, then no one can. Kill her.”
The men who appeared behind him rush toward me, another set of people appearing in their place.
Pandemonium breaks out as Renwick’s army sets upon us.
“What the hell are the three of you doing?” I demand, hands on my hips, as Steel, Blaze, and Titan circle me.
“We’re just the first line of defense, Dalia.” I can almost hear the grin in Blaze’s voice as he lifts his gun, shooting into the crowd racing toward us.
I grunt and roll my eyes, but I know arguing with them will get me nowhere. Instead, I pull out my gun and shoot off a few rounds in the space between the guys.
My sword is strapped to my back, but I won’t be able to use it with the guys surrounding me like they are. I’m better with it and the dagger on my hip, but I’m thankful I learned to use a gun—otherwise I’d be standing here like a lump on a log.
“Fuck,” Steel curses, pulling his sword off his back. “There are too many of them.”
“Then you should let me help?—”
