Page 153 of Owned

I didn’t know what to believe.

Lucian moved through the survivors like a scythe through wheat.

As each life was extinguished, the heaviness within me intensified alongside the revulsion I held for Lucian.

The hollowness of the Council members’ words as they begged for their lives was sickening; their desperate pleas were utterly futile against the vast power of the sorcerer who stood before them.

I was drowning in a horror that twisted my insides, filled with despair as Lucian executed the remaining members one by one.

Methodical.

Detached.

The grimoire seemed to smile in my thoughts.“You should be enjoying this— This is your revenge.”

But it wasn’t— This was Lucian’s revenge.

Not mine.

A thought struck me like lightning.

I couldn’t just stand there as innocent lives were extinguished like candles snuffed in a violent wind.

As his guards dragged another victim forward, a low moan escaped my lips.

Before rationality could intervene, I rushed toward Lucian and grabbed his arm.

As he turned toward me in surprise, I pressed myself against him and wrapped my arms around his neck to drag his head down toward mine.

With my eyes shut tight, I kissed him fiercely, desperate to interrupt the violence he had unleashed.

Lucian’s body stiffened, and I tried to ignore the choked grunt of surprise that I was sure came from Bastian.

There was a moment, just a heartbeat, where I felt a fleeting glimmer of what I had believed to be compassion. It felt audacious, reckless—yet somehow, amid the swirling darkness, it held a semblance of power I never thought possible.

The cold tension in Lucian’s body slackened just a little as his arms wound around me.

At the moment our lips met, I held my breath and prayed my impulsive action would invoke a change.

I dared to open my eyes and realized that Lucian’s guards had paused mid-stride. Their captive sagged between them, but their sobs were soundless.

With a groan, Lucian pulled away from me.

His expression was twisted, and his surprise morphed into a mask of irate confusion—but unmistakable lust flickered in hisicy eyes. But he didn’t look at me. He gripped my wrist tightly and flung me toward the guards who dropped their captive onto the grass.

I stumbled and almost fell, but a guard stepped forward to catch me.

His grip wasn’t gentle.

“Take her back to Withermarsh!” Lucian shouted.

Fuck.

I couldn’t even bring myself to look at my stepbrothers.

But I could feel the chill of Bastian’s glare as I was dragged toward the ruined entrance to the courtyard.

“Get the worms out of my sight,” Lucian roared.

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