Page 136 of Bound By Darkness

No way for her to feel it happen.

"I don’t want it to be over in an instant,” she says, her voice quiet but filled with certainty.

The air between us tightens.There’s something intoxicating about the way she says it, about the conviction in her voice.

A better man would tear her away from this edge.He’d take the weight from her hands, carry the blood himself.He’d find another way.But I’m not that man.

All I can do is watch as she steps into the dark and pray there's still something left of her when the night is over.

Darkness greets us as we enter the room above the pit.Aoife lifts a hand, signaling one of the guards.A switch is flipped, and the pit floods with light.

Ruairi flinches, throwing up an arm to shield his eyes from the sudden glare.The movement costs him.A raw, hacking cough wracks his thin frame, leaving him hunched and gasping.

When he forces himself upright, there's still a ghost of defiance in his eyes—fading, desperate, as if he needs to believe he’s still dangerous even as his body betrays him.

"Come to gawk, Evie?"his voice scrapes out, raw and splintered, more ruin than threat."Or have you finally found your spine?"

Aoife doesn’t flinch as I take my place beside her, my hands slipping into my pockets.

Ruairi’s gaze shifts to me, narrowing."Well, well.If it isn’t O’Sullivan.I would’ve thought you’d have the balls to do this yourself.But I see now, you’re nothing more than a coward using my sister to get her hands dirty for you."

"This isn’t my war," I say flatly, gesturing to Aoife."She’s the one in control.She decides what happens next."

For the first time, something flickers behind Ruairi’s eyes.Doubt.Wariness.

Seamus and two other guards descend into the pit, carrying a chair on the lift.

Ruairi stiffens."What the hell is this?"

No one answers him.The guards grab him by the arms, hauling him up and forcing him into the chair.He fights them, but he’s weak and is no match.The restraints loop around his wrists and ankles, cinching tight.

Still, he tries to fight, his voice hoarse with rage."You think this makes you powerful?Sitting up there while your boyfriend’s men tie me down like a fucking dog?"

I study her, searching for signs of hesitation.She’s quieter than usual.Too still.

Leaning in, I ask, "You sure about this?"

"Yes,” she answers without looking at me.

"Please, take the gun," I murmur."Make it quick."

Finally, she turns her head, meeting my gaze with something cold."No.I need to feel it, Eamon.I need to feel his life leave him."

Something stirs deep in my chest.Admiration?Concern?A mixture of both?

I exhale slowly, nodding once."Then I’m with you," I say, my voice low."I'll be your anchor tonight.And when it’s over, I’ll be the one who pulls you back from the edge."

The last guard ascends from the pit, leaving only Seamus behind with Ruairi.

Aoife and I step onto the lift.The mechanism groans to life, the walls of the pit closing in around us, the air growing heavier with every passing second.

I nod to Seamus, who stands rigid against the far wall.Aoife hadn’t wanted anyone else down here.Maybe she changed her mind.Maybe, deep down, she knew she shouldn't carry this alone.Relief threads through me as we descend.She wasn't as far gone as I'd feared.Not yet.

When we reach the bottom, Ruairi lifts his head, his eyes burning with fury as they land on her.His sister.His executioner.

Then he shifts his eyes to me.“Why are you with her?”he demands.

"To bear witness."My voice is smooth, final, dark with the weight of inevitability."The blade is already swinging, the pit already open.You were dead the second she let you fall."

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