Page 190 of Owned

Now you don’t have to.

A howl of rage tore from my throat as I dragged my fingers through my hair.

Had I really thought Lucian would just let her live?

Had I really thought—

“Fucking bastard!”

I didn’t even know if I was talking about Lucian.

My pulse thudded in my ears and I wiped my hands on my jeans and grimaced at the dark smears left behind.

I didn’t have time for anger—I had to move.

I had to get back before it was too late.

We had to stop this.

Without looking back at the body, I stumbled through the trees and didn’t flinch as the leaves slapped wetly against my face. The slick growth of moss on the rocks and branches made my footing treacherous, and more than once I slipped and nearly fell, but I pushed forward.

He was going to mold his own heir—replace us.

The words echoed in my mind, and I realized I was stumbling over my own fucking feet.

Avril was going to die. But not before—

We’d been stupid to think the wedding was Lucian’s endgame.

Naïve to think we could wait until the right moment to strike.

We’d waited too long.

The vision, the spell at the Spire, the grimoire—none of them came close to this. Not by half.

I staggered against a tree trunk and braced my hand against the smooth bark as I gasped for breath.

My plan had gone straight to hell.

This wasnothow it was supposed to go.

Not this fast, not this bloody.

I hadn’t wanted to kill him.

Idiot.

This was the fate you were trying to escape.

In the end, I’d given Lucian’s snivelling advisor exactly what he wanted.

I looked down at my blood-caked hands—the smears on my jeans—the handprint on the tree trunk.

I had lost control.

He’d known I would.

If he could have, he would have bet on it.

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