I lunged again, our bodies colliding in a vicious tangle of blades and fangs. He overpowered me, slamming me into the alley wall.
My head hit the brick wall, the impact sending sharp pain through my skull as stars burst in my vision.
“Do you even understand what you’ve done?” Bram snarled, his eyes wild with fury. “Centuries, Gael. Centuries of loyalty, of working side by side, and you toss it all away for him?”
I let out a shaky laugh, tasting blood in my mouth.
“Oh, I get it perfectly,” I said, locking eyes with him. “Living at the nest, jumping every time Beric snapped his fingers? That wasn’t living. That was existing.”
Bram’s expression twisted, his jaw tightening as a low growl rumbled from his throat.
“So, this is it? You’re tying yourself to a hunter. A hunter,Gael? You’ve lost your damn mind.”
I smirked, ignoring the pounding in my head. “Better crazy and free than a lapdog for eternity.”
His fist tightened in my shirt, yanking me closer. “Then you’ve made your choice. And don’t think for a second I’ll lose sleep over killing you both.”
“Regrets don’t suit you anyway,” I shot back, my voice dripping with venom. “But you might want to focus less on monologues and more on finishing the job.”
Bram’s eyes flashed with fury, but I was already bracing myself for the next blow, adrenaline kicking in despite the pain.
I lunged at him but Bram shoved me to the ground, his boot pressing down on my chest. My ribs groaned under the pressure, and I knew I made a mistake.
I clawed at his leg, trying to dislodge him, but he was unyielding.
“Any last words?” he asked, his blade gleaming as he pressed it against my throat.
I thought of Asher, unconscious and vulnerable just feet away. Of the countless moments that had brought us here.
I thought of the fear in his eyes when he realized what I’d done to save him.
“No regrets,” I growled.
Bram’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “That’s your problem, Gael. Always so sentimental.”
The blade pressed harder, the cold metal biting into my skin. And then?—
A blur of motion.
Bram’s body jerked as Asher tackled him, knocking him off me. They hit the ground hard, Asher’s fists flying in a flurry of untrained but furious strikes.
Bram recovered quickly, flipping Asher off him with a snarl. “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that.”
Asher staggered to his feet, his movements clumsy but driven by pure rage.
His eyes glowed with the feral intensity of a newborn vampire, his fangs bared as he lunged at Bram again.
I scrambled to my feet, my body screaming in protest, and joined the fray. Bram was a force of nature, his strength far outmatching ours. But together, we were relentless.
Asher landed a solid punch to Bram’s jaw, the impact reverberating through the alley. I followed with a slash across his chest, drawing a roar of pain from him.
“Stay down, Bram,” I warned, though I knew he wouldn’t.
“You think this changes anything?” Bram sneered, blood dripping from his mouth. “You’re both dead. You just don’t know it yet.”
Bram charged at Asher, his blade aimed for his heart.
“No!” I shouted, throwing myself between them.
