Page 32 of When Kings Fall

Without another thought, I turn and bark orders. “Get ready. We’re leaving in five.”

The men spring into action, scrambling to gather their gear, but Niamh steps forward, blocking my path. Her face is set, determined. “I’m coming with you.”

“No,” I snap, the word biting. She doesn’t move. Her eyes meet mine, and for a second, I see something raw in them. Understanding. Suspicion. I can’t have her come with me, not now, not when I’m about to face Ben. Not when the monster inside me is clawing at the edges.

“Stay here,” I growl, brushing past her.

She says nothing, but I can feel her eyes on my back as I leave.

The drive through the city is a blur. The streets stretch out ahead of me, twisting, dark, cold. The night is empty, but my mind is anything but. Thoughts whirl through me, fast and violent. Every second that ticks by, my grip tightens on the wheel, knuckles white, tendons straining.

Ben has her. That thought consumes me, fills every crack, every corner of my mind. What could he be doing to her? What kind of game is he playing? My imagination spins out of control,wild, conjuring images I can’t shake. Images I don’t want to believe.

I press harder on the gas, the engine roaring beneath me as the car tears through the city streets. I don’t care if the others are behind me. I don’t care if they’re keeping up. This is my fight. This is between Ben and me.

The zoo looms ahead, the towering gates lit by dim streetlights. I kill the engine and coast the car silently into the parking lot, slipping into the shadows. My breath catches when I see it. Ben’s car, parked near the entrance. The security guard is inspecting it, his flashlight casting long, thin beams over the hood. He doesn’t know what he’s standing next to, what kind of hell is about to be unleashed here.

I sink lower in my seat, watching him, waiting. My hands twitch at my sides, ready, itching for action. The seconds stretch into eternity as the guard finally moves on, turning away from Ben’s car. He doesn’t see me. He doesn’t see anything.

I slip out of the car, staying low, staying quiet. My boots barely make a sound as I move through the darkness, the cold air biting at my skin.

I don’t know the layout of the zoo. I pull out my phone, fingers trembling as I open the map. The paths stretch out like a labyrinth before me, twisting and turning in directions I can’t afford to guess at. I scan the map, forcing myself to focus, to think clearly.

Where would he take her?

The lion exhibit. It makes sense. The painting. The logo. I know where to go now.

The fence is high, but I don’t care. I vault over it in one smooth motion, landing hard on the other side. The impact vibrates through my legs, but I don’t slow down. My eyes dart around, searching, scanning.

Ahead, I hear the soft rustle of movement—small, quick. I catch a glimpse of the red pandas, their striped tails disappearing into the shadows, startled by my presence. They’re skittish. They know a predator when they see one.

I move faster now, my breath coming in short bursts. I’m closing in. I can feel it. The tension wraps tighter around me, squeezing, suffocating.

The lion exhibit looms ahead, its massive iron gate closed and shadowed. I stop, scanning the area. And there it is—her phone. The dim light from its screen glows faintly in the darkness, showing me the way. She dropped it here.

I crouch down, my hands shaking as I pick it up. I end the call, pocketing both phones. The silence presses in on me, thick, suffocating. I look around, my heart hammering against my ribs, every nerve on edge.

Then I see it.

A bracelet, half-hidden in the dirt near the edge of an old maintenance building. Simple. Understated. Just like her.

I pick it up, my fingers trembling. It’s cold against my palm, a small piece of her. A piece that tells me she’s still close.

I slip the bracelet into my pocket and turn toward the building. The door hangs slightly open, a crack wide enough for me to slip through. Ben’s invitation.

I step inside. The air is stale, thick with dust and age. The faint scent of oil and rust lingers in the corners, mixing with the smell of damp concrete.

The tunnel yawns before me, dark, descending into the earth. The abyss. The place Ben wants me to follow him into.

Of course, he does.

This is all a setup. A trap. He wants me down there, in the darkness, where no one can see. Where no one can hear.

But I can’t wait for my men. I can’t risk it. I don’t know what’s happening to Selene down there. I don’t know how much time I have left

So, I descend into the darkness.

My feet hit the floor with a dull thud, the sound echoing off the concrete walls. The air down here is colder, heavier. It clings to my skin, wrapping around me like a second layer of suffocating tension.

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