Page 164 of Claiming Pretty

His features were a mess of cuts and bruises. Blood poured from deep gashes along his cheek and temple, his left eye swollen nearly shut, only a sliver of blue peeking through. His breaths were shallow, rasping, and his arm clutched his ribs protectively.

“Ciaran…” My voice cracked as I tried to steady him, my arms wrapping tightly around him as his body shuddered. “What happened? Where’s Ty?”

At the sound of Ty’s name, a broken sound escaped Ciaran—a mix of a sob and a groan. His head hung between his shoulders, and his arm trembled as he barely supported his weight.

“I’m sorry, Ava,” he rasped, his voice weak but filled with anguish. “I begged him not to do it.”

His words sent an icy lance of dread straight to my heart. My chest tightened as the truth threatened to crush me.

“What did he do?” My voice wavered, frantic.

Ciaran tried to push himself upright, but his strength gave out.

I tightened my hold on him, lowering us both to the ground as the sea breeze howled around us, battering us with cold.

“But you know Ty…” Ciaran whispered hoarsely, his bloodied fingers clutching the silk of my robe. “Stubborn.”

His words slammed into me, but my mind refused to accept their meaning.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head in denial. My voice cracked, rising in desperation. “Why? Why would he do that?”

Why did he do it? Why would he leave after fighting so fiercely to stay by my side? How could he possibly think I’d be better off without him, that I could live without him?

Ciaran’s body shivered against mine, his breath coming in weak, shallow gasps. “He said… ‘She’ll need your expertise now more than ever.’”

I gripped his shoulders, shaking him lightly despite the injuries I knew he had. “What does that mean, Ciaran? Where is Ty?”

My voice rose to a scream, the rawness scraping my throat, when the shrill ring of a phone cut through the storm of my emotions.

Ciaran fumbled weakly for the source of the sound, and I reached into his jacket, my shaking hands pulling out the device.

The screen glowed withUnknown Number.

My breath caught, and I jabbed at the screen, barely able to hold the phone to my ear.

“Ty?” I croaked. “Is that you?”

His voice came through the line, rough and heartbreakingly steady. “I only have a few minutes, hummingbird. Please, listen carefully.”

The tears started without me realizing. I tasted salt on my lips, felt my chest quaking, but all I could do was cry. “Why?”

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Ty said softly. “But if it means you get to fly free, I’d lock myself away for a thousand lifetimes.”

“Ty, no. What did you do?”

“I thought I was your warden. But I wasyourprisoner all along,” he said, his voice strained but resolute. “I know you chose Ciaran. But it’s okay. Do you hear me?”

“No,” I sobbed, shaking my head even though he couldn’t see me.

“You belong with him, Ava. And youneedhim now more than ever.”

My chest felt like it was splitting open. Deep down, I knew he was trying to tell me something, but the overwhelming tide of emotion drowned out any clarity.

“Heartwarming,” Ebony’s cold voice sneered in the background. “But that’s enough.”

There was a scuffle, Ty’s voice growing distant as he shouted, “From every cell, from every shadow…” The line jolted with static, and his voice came again, farther away, raw and broken. “…for as long as I breathe and for whatever comes after, I’ll love you more.”

The dam inside me shattered.

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