Page 44 of Dark Night of the Soul

“What did you tell him?” I asked.

A faint, humorless huff of breath. “That you’d do what you do best.”

That eventually I’d end him.

Or damn us both trying.

The bond between us hummed—tight, strained. I felt the tremor in her body, the way she was locking everything down through sheer will, burying fear so deep it might never come back the same.

The lock on the door clanged.

Light spilled in again. Boots. Hands.

“Time,” the guard said.

She flinched as they grabbed her arms.

“Don’t give them what they want,” she said urgently. “Promise me.”

The word lodged in my chest like a blade.

Because I already knew—

if it came down to her or the world, I would choose her.

“Anna—”

They hauled her upright. She cried out, pain flashing across her face before she crushed it down.

“Promise me!”

The door slammed shut between us.

The chains bit into my wrists as I lunged forward, anyway.

After centuries, I knew what it meant to be too late.

Chapter 17 | Anna

Two guards dragged me from the cell block. I was gawked at like some pretty pet they wanted to get their hands on. And I hated it. I hated every single person standing between me and Kincade.

I hated more he saw my ruined face.

The first time the doctor started to clean and dress it, Sebastian stopped him. Let him see, he’d said.

He wanted Kincade to know. He wanted to plant that rage inside him. He wanted to see how far he could push him before he’d snap.

But I knew him better than anyone. I knew he would continue to control that wrath until he was ready to use it.

After leaving the cell block, they deposited me in a treatment room with a cold metal table.

Dr. Vormund entered, snapping on gloves. He tilted my chin up, examining the damage with clinical detachment. This time, he wasn’t going to let Sebastian stop him. The nurse hovered nearby.

“High risk of infection,” he said. “Clean it thoroughly and dress it properly. Start her on antibiotics as a precaution.”

Then Sebastian entered. He leaned against the wall, arms folded over chest. Watching. Like he was making sure his prize was cared for.

The nurse worked faster. Antibiotic ointment. Gauze. Careful bandaging that covered the wound without obscuring my face.