Page 161 of Emperor of Wrath

“You FUCKER!” he screeches, dropping his hands from me.

I spin, staring at where Kenzo has just stabbed Valon in the calf with the buckle of my belt, which he’s yanked off his makeshift bandage. Blood is flowing freely down his chest again as his eyes lock with mine and he slumps to the ground.

Valon pulls his gun out of his belt. As I look at the man I love, and then the one I hate, I know one thing with utter certainty.

This is not how Kenzo and I go.

This is not where we die.

Not like this.

Steeling myself, I fling my arm to the side, grab the hilt of Kenzo’s sword, and then whirl, jamming the point down into Valon’s foot. He screams in agony, dropping the gun as he staggers away from Kenzo, the blade sliding out of his shoe with a squelch.

“You bitch!” he squeals, looking at me in horror and fear. “You fucking bitch?—”

The blade swings up in a cold, silvery slash.

Valon’s left hand is severed instantly, sent flying into the wall before dropping to the ground. I stare at the stump of his wrist with as much shock as he does.

But then I feel something I’ve never once felt in this monster’s presence.

Powerful.

I feel fucking powerful.

Valon lets out a high, gobbling shriek as he clutches his forearm, staring at the spurting blood in horror.

“That!” I roar, “is for hurting the family it took me so long to find!”

I swing the blade again with a fury I’ve never felt before. This time, I’m ready for the shock as Valon’s other forearm is cleaved in two, his right hand sailing away.

“That is for my husband!” I scream.

Valon’s eyes are wide with terror as he staggers away from me down the tunnel, splattering blood across the walls.

“And this?!” I rush at him, plunging the blade through his chest. Valon’s entire face bulges, spittle and blood frothing from his wide mouth as he chokes violently.

“This is for me, you motherfucker!”

I twist the blade violently, yanking it side to side as blood pours from his chest. I pull the sword out of him, watching without blinking as he falls to his knees and then topples backward into a lifeless heap on the floor.

I drop the sword and run to Kenzo. His body’s still so solid and muscled that it makes it even more surreal that he’s so limp when I struggle to lift him and prop him up against the wall.

“You got him…” he murmurs quietly.

I’m shaking as I grab the belt and tie my blood-soaked shirt back to his wound. At this point, it almost seems useless.

Then my eyes drop to the little glass bottle on the ground with the antidote.

It’s empty.

I swallow back the icy feeling inside of me, ignoring the fact that my vision is swimming a little as I sit and slide in next to Kenzo. I wrap his arm over my shoulder, pulling him close as I take his hand in mine.

“We’ll rest a second,” I mumble quietly. “Then we’ll find a way out.”

“Annika.”

I swallow back the tears as I turn to him. He’s looking down into my eyes with his hooded ones, a lock of dark hair splayed across his face.

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