Page 47

I meet him halfway.

The impact vibrates the old wooden floor beneath our feet. If I didn’t know we were in a cellar beneath the cabin itself, I’d fear the floor giving way.

Kakos moves faster than I expect. Faster than a human, whether he is immortal or not.

Strong enough to crack ribs with each punch.

It doesn’t matter. I’ll take the pain with pride. Every strike he lands only fuels the fire inside me to win.

He isn’t fighting for survival. Not like me. He wants to kill my woman, while I want her to live. I couldn’t let him win, not when I could feel Sibley slipping away from me.

I can sense the threads between us weakening.

"No," I shout, shifting back into human form.

I catch Kakos’s next punch, twist, and drive him through what remains of a stone wall.

Smooth rocks exploded around us.

He claws across my chest, then drives an elbow into my jaw.

I barely feel it. My lion, though still in human form, takes over completely. I wrap both hands around his throat.

Kakos struggles. Kicks. Tries to pry my fingers loose. It doesn’t matter what he tries, I know the truth. He isn’t strong enough. I pull one hand from his throat, drive it into his chest, and snatch out his heart.

His glowing eyes slowly meet mine.

Then . . . he smiles.

A real smile.

"After all this time. The end . . ." he rasps.

His body stops struggling.

" . . . finally."

I squeeze his heart, even though it is out of his chest, until it bursts, not wanting to leave anything to chance.

A loud crack echoes through the room. Kakos’s body goes limp. I throw him aside without a second thought.

Turning to my mate, I’m at her side instantly. "Sibley."

The iron cuffs dig cruelly into her wrists, right where they’re cut.

Ignoring the blood coating my hands, I grab the restraints and pull them.

The metal warps under the force before it snaps open.

I gently snatch her up from the chair and press her against my chest. She needs medical attention, but she also needs to know I’m here. She’s been right the whole time. Everything she’s ever seen, she’s been right about.

She barely has enough strength to lift her head, and those beautiful lips curl into a smirk. "I knew . . ." She looks up at me through half-lidded eyes. "I knew you’d come for me, Kitty."

My throat tightens so much I can’t answer her.

All those times she called me that. All those times I’d growl and snarl at her.

Complained.