Page 118 of The Road to Hell

Levi inclined his head in acknowledgment, then turned back to Calyx, his eyes dark with intent. “In the meantime, perhaps you and I should have a little chat.”

Calyx chuckled, but there was something dark behind the amusement. “Ooh, I do love a good interrogation.”

I ignored them, focusing only on Lily as I gently tugged her hand, leading her away from the group.

From behind us, there was a quite huff.

I glanced back to see Gorr, muscles tense, eyes locked onto me as if debating whether to let me take Lily anywhere out of his sight.

Levi stepped in front of the war-beast without hesitation, placing a firm hand against his massive plated hide. “Easy,” he murmured. “They’ll be back.”

Gorr whined, his tail flicking, but after a long moment, he relented.

I led Lily away from the others, my grip firm but careful. She didn’t resist, nor question where I was taking her. Maybe she already knew.

The encampment was little more than smoldering wreckage now, a hollowed-out graveyard of what it once was. But some things remained.

Like the lookout tower. It had once been a raised platform overlooking the wastelands, its crumbling stairwell leading up the side. A necessary vantage point during the war, a place where sentries kept watch, and whispered strategies in the dark. Where she and I had stolen whatever moments we could between battle, exhaustion, and bloodshed.

It had been ours.

But now, it was nothing more than a platform of stone with no way up. The stairs were long gone, as was the railing that had once encircled it.

I slowed as we reached the base of what remained, glancing at Lily. “I figured we could be alone here, but I’ll have to fly us up.”

Her brows lifted. “You think that thing will hold us?”

“If it doesn’t, I’ll catch you.”

That earned me a quiet snort, but she didn’t argue.

I stepped behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist, then took to the air. The platform shifted a bit when we landed, but thankfully, it held steady. I didn’t release her yet, though, until I knew for sure it wouldn’t crumble beneath our feet. Only when I was sure we were safe and steady did I let her go, not that I wanted to.

I expected her to step away, to put space between us. But she didn’t. Instead, she turned in my arms and met my gaze, searching.

“Still planning to punch me?” I asked, bracing for the inevitable.

“Thinking about it,” she admitted.

I squared my shoulders. “Then do it. If you need to, hit me.”

Lily blinked, clearly caught off guard. “What?”

“I deserve it.” My voice came out steady, but raw. “For everything I’ve done. For what I took from you. For?—”

Her fingers curled into my shirt, gripping it tight, and for a brief, bracing moment, I thought she reallywasgoing to hit me. But instead of a fist, she let out a slow, measured breath and…shook her head.

“You already know how I feel about that,” she muttered. “Iwillpunch you. Just not right now.”

Relief curled through my chest, but it was short-lived. It didn’t change what I’d done. It didn’t erase the past.

I lifted a hand to her cheek but hesitated before making contact, waiting to see if she would stop me. She didn’t. So I let my fingers brush against her skin, warm beneath my touch, her heartbeat steady andthere.

She was here.

“I’m sorry,” I said, the words heavy, filled with everything I could never take back. “For all of it.” I drew in a slow breath, forcing myself to keep going. “I panicked. When I saw him rip your wings off—saw him cut you down…” My throat tightened. “You were dying, Lily.”

She didn’t argue. Didn’t deny it.

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