I don’t have the energy to respond. All I can do is stand here, swaying, watching as my family, because that’s what they are now, what they’ve been since the moment they chose to stand beside me instead of surrendering me to the Coven, continues to hold on.
Something answers me from the chaos.
Not sound, not sight, but a familiar gravity settles into place inside my chest, warm and undeniable, like a hand closing around my spine and holding me upright.Crave.Bruised and bleeding, but still anchored to this moment, refusing to let go.
His focus locks onto me with startling intensity. It presses close, steady and unwavering, tracking every staggered breath, every tremor in my legs. Awe rolls through that awareness, edged with fear so raw it almost hurts to touch. And beneath it all, something deeper, heavier.
Love. Fierce and unfiltered.
A murmur brushes the edge of my thoughts, rough with disbelief and reverence.
‘You magnificent, terrifying woman.’
The weight of his pride settles over me, solid as steel, bracing me when my knees threaten to buckle.
‘You did it. You stayed yourself.’
Strength answers where exhaustion claws for purchase.
Another pulse follows, colder now. Focused. Ruthless. The intent sharpens, narrowing until it points in one direction only.
Viktor.
‘End this.’
No hesitation.
No doubt.
‘The reckoning comes after. With the Coven. With everything else.’
The certainty of that steadies me more than any spell ever could. I look toward where Viktor stands, frozen in shock at what I’ve just done.
At what I’ve become.
At the realization that he didn’t just attack an Original and his club. He attacked a Blood Witch who chose love over power. And that choice made me something none of them expected.
Something new.
Something dangerous.
Something worth the chaos.
I take a step forward, my Bloodfire burning beneath my skin, Lilith’s presence coiled behind me, a living weapon I’ve finally learned to control.
The real fight is about to begin.
And this time, Crave and I will face it together.
As equals.
As partners.
As something the vampire world has never seen before, and won’t soon forget.
Chapter Twenty-Four
CRAVE
