“No.” His growl left no room for argument.
Kyra let out a sound of frustration. “I’m not going to just cower and sit by while he’s hurting people.”
Xander’s gaze smouldered. “Let me make myself fucking clear, Princess. The whole world can burn to cinders before you go anywhere near that prick.”
“He’ll find a way to get what he wants, even without me.”
“Then let him do it without you,” he snapped.
Anger burned in her chest. “I’m an adult, I make my own decisions.” She looked towards Riley, whose lips were set in a thin line. “There isn’t another option, not unless you want innocent blood on your hands.”
Xander snarled, fury in the set of his jaw. “I don’t care…”
“Well, I do!” Her voice broke. “I care, Xee! I’m not stupid, I knew the risks when I left. I would sacrifice myself a thousand times over if it meant someone else could survive. Stop trying to control my decisions, otherwise you’re no better than them.”
Xander’s eyes froze over, his face becoming a mask of cool contempt. He said nothing as he turned and left, his footsteps silent despite the anger that clenched his fists. She watched after him, her arms coming up to wrap around her chest as if she could keep herself from falling apart.
A few moments passed, and when the silence stretched so taut she quietly repeated, “there isn’t another option.”
Riley pinched the bridge of his nose. “Xee’s right. You’re not disposable, Kyra.”
“We need to think of something else,” Alice added softly. “Anything else.”
“We don’t have the time.” Her eyes drifted back to Adeline, her gut clenching at the sight. She had screamed as she died, the emotion so strong it left an echo. “You said so yourself, the resources Frederick has at his fingertips could be catastrophic if Dirk got hold of them.”
Riley let out a steady, controlled breath. “Kyra, we’re not risking it.”
“And I don’t need your permission.” She met his eyes, fascinated in the way they swirled to liquid silver. A beast’s trait, it seemed. “I will not sit and do nothing when others are being hurt. Do you really believe Frederick will simply forget about me?”
She didn’t wait for an answer.
Chapter26
Kyra
Storming out would have been more dramatic if she knew the layout of the house. Not even a house, more of an estate by the sheer size and surrounding greenery she could spot through the oversized windows. It seemed each Guardian had a suite, with their own bedroom, bathroom and lounge. Private, but also close to one another. She understood why Xander preferred to stay there compared to the empty flat he kept. It was probably convenient for him to keep, for uses such as hiding an illegal soul witch.
Kyra brushed her hand on the wall as she walked, each room so light and airy in the early morning sun. Everything was decorated in shades of ivory and sand, accented with hints of navy blue. Very different to where she grew up. The rooms were warm and lived in, with books left open, waiting to be read and a coat draped over a chair in the hall. A left shoe was forgotten in the corner, the right nowhere in sight while decadent rugs, mostly in blue or various patterns of grey, broke up the clean but scratched wooden floor.
She knew she was stalling. She didn’t care about the art that draped the walls, or the carpets even though she stood and studied everything for longer than necessary.
“That was cruel,” Kace said from the archway that lead to the kitchen. His voice was sandpaper, but she turned anyway. He leaned carefully, hair so red it was like the heart of a ruby brushed low, obscuring his eyes. “He didn’t deserve that.”
She knew he was right, but she couldn’t get the words out her mouth.
A boom, followed by glass shattering.
Kace stiffened, his head turning at the same time as Kyra.
“What the fuc…”
Neither of them had noticed the knife, nor the flash of silver as it sliced across his throat.
“Kace!” she hoped her cry carried throughout the house. A shadow solidified, a thin, bony arm appearing beneath a dark cloak. Pale features were obscured by a hood, but she knew it smirked as she threw herself forward, trying to catch Kace as he fell. He choked, his hands scrambling up to touch the wound that sliced his neck in two.
Xander could heal, surely Kace could too.
The bleeding didn’t falter, the tattoos that wrapped around his arms and shoulders pulsating against his skin, casing a glow against the shadow who watched from a few feet away. Footsteps echoed, but another bang vibrated the house.
