Page 16 of Red Ruin

I’m an S-class, too, and I’m here to fight.

Not to be an accessory.

“Let.Go.” I pry off Vhex’s fingers as I wrench away my silks.

It goes against all my instincts to pull away from a Sentinel who needs me.

But look what happened the last time I didn’t protect myself.

Until Vhex learns to behave, he’s not getting one wisp of my help.

Forced to let go, Vhex looms between me and Cherise. His eyes darken to crimson as he scans the Sentinels in her squad. “Stop looking at my Guide. We’re exclusive.”

“We are not.” I push past Vhex as flames pool underneath his boots.

The squad backpedals so fast, this can’t be their first time getting singed.

The Trezzorans hail from the devils’ supreme bloodline. They’re apex-tier predators, just like Kevan Kyorgos, who bears the power of a lich king.

With Sentinels that strong?

Blink wrong and you’re gone.

Vhex is as volatile as he is powerful, and he’s probably running their guard ragged, dominating lesser Sentinels and draining Guides like he’s sucking down juice boxes.

That’s over if he wants to work with me.

I turn to Cherise. “How many S-Classes are assigned to the Farguard?”

“Three Sentinels,” she answers quickly. “One imprinted. We lost our only S-Class Guide to a wyvern spawn.”

My gut tightens. “You’re fightingwyvernswith only three S-Classes?”

No wonder the other Guide died.

“It’s not as bad as you’re imagining,” Cherise insists. “The dukes are their own army.”

Dukes.

Fantastic. There’s more than one of them.

I rub between my eyebrows. “So, I’ll be responsible for guiding Vhex and?—”

“OnlyVhex,” the man in question snarls.

Cherise swallows. “Also our Sword Major. Duke Remington Azrid.”

Azrid. The Vampires of the North.

I’ve never met Remington, but I’ve read his name in my history books.

He used to be a legendary general.

Now, there are only rumors of his decline.

People say he feeds on monsters.

And on Guides…

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