Page 125 of Claimed In Darkness

Unbothered.

Like this is not my fucking problem anymore.

Like I should let her go.

I tighten my jaw, forcing my breath steady, forcing my hands not to shake.

"Would it be so bad?"she asks again.

And I already know the answer.

Yes.

Yes, it would be.

Becausef I lose her to this—I lose everything.

But I can’t say it.

I cannot fucking utter the words.

She has already decided for both of us. I have no right. I hurt her first, didn’t I?

This was never my choice.

It was hers.

And she has already made it.

41

NAIRA

The first arrow lands inches from my boot.

The second embeds itself into the tree beside me, the wood splintering like bone snapping beneath a blade.

The third?

That one—I catch.

Not on purpose.

Not because I am fast enough to react.

But because something inside me is.

My hand closes around the shaft mid-air, my fingers gripping the smooth, polished wood before my brain even registers the attack.

The relic inside me reacts before I do.

I tighten my grip.

Feel the tremor of power slide beneath my skin.

And I look up.

Because they are here.

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