Page 138 of Silk and Sirens

And she knew it.

“You have three minutes,” Sebastian buzzed in my ear.

Selene’s hand shot out and grabbed Aeris by the arm, yanking her closer to the railing. Aeris stumbled, the wind tearing at her hair as Selene used her as a shield, the raging sea crashing hungrily below.

“Selene …” I warned, taking a step closer.

“Back off,” she sneered, even as Aeris remained calm. “You let me walk out of here, and I won’t throw Aeris off the side to be with her father.”

My watch ticked relentlessly against my wrist.

“Well?” she demanded. “Do we have a deal?”

A low rumble beneath my feet—the lower levels already destabilising. Langdon’s charges were tearing through the foundations one controlled collapse at a time.

“Get the fuck out of there, Cade!” Sebastian snarled through the earpiece.

I stepped farther onto the deck anyway, raising my gun to Selene who laughed wild and unhinged.

“Let her go,” I said calmly.

Selene’s smile was manic now, rain streaming down her face. “Or what? You’ll kill me? You’ll lose her anyway.”

“Selene, is this really how you want this to end?” Aeris asked, her husky voice taunting. “I thought you’d go out with more of a fight.”

“Okay, new deal … Aeris, if you kill Caden, I’ll let you go. Your sisters will be safe, and I’ll take you to where Mira’s buried so you can finally lay her to rest.”

Aeris’s expression shifted.

“I’ll give you every name that was involved, everyone you haven’t been able to find,” Selene continued, her voice growing more desperate, more frantic. “Every man who used your sister, who hurt her. I have it all, just kill him!”

For a heartbeat, Aeris didn’t move. Her eyes collided with mine, and I saw the conflict there—the years of pain, the desperate need for closure about Mira, and the burning desire for revenge.

“Come on, Aeris,” Selene cooed, her tone forcibly sweet and coaxing. “Take that gun. One bullet, that’s all it takes. End him, and you’re free. Your family is free. You can finally bury your sister properly. No more games. No more pain.”

Aeris pursed her lips, seeming to debate it.

“Tempting.”

Slamming her elbow back into Selene’s ribs, she twisted violently. Selene staggered, losing her grip just enough for Aeris to wrench free.

I fired, but the shot didn’t hit Selene in the head as planned, the heaviness of the rain toying with my aim. Instead, she screamed as the bullet hit her in the shoulder, grabbing Aeris once more and backing them up.

“It’s over,” I said, voice low as I aimed once more. “You lose.”

Selene laughed through the pain, blood mixing with the rain as lightning split the rapidly darkening sky. She looked broken, desperate, hair plastered to her pale skin and eyes glowing with fury.

But still, she smiled. “I don’t lose.”

She lunged sideways, taking Aeris with her as if she could still escape. But Aeris fought, twisting and clawing until Selene caught her throat, fingers tangling in the thin, gold necklace that immediately snapped. I threw myself forward, everything rumbling violently as a series of pops echoed.

With a carnivorous howl the house exploded at my back, the decking shuddering violently, splitting down the centre with a deafening crack. The section where Selene and Aeris stood tilted sharply, slanting towards the raging sea like a sinking ship.

The jolt sent Selene over the edge, dangling dangerously, one hand desperately gripping the broken railing, the other clamped viciously around Aeris.

My heart raced, blood a roar in my ears. Aeris looked up then, our gaze colliding. There was no fear there, only a heartbreaking, quiet acceptance.

“No …”