The blade pierced my side instead, fire radiating from the wound as I pushed Bram back.
Asher’s scream of rage echoed through the alley. He grabbed Bram by the throat, his strength surprising even me, and slammed him into the ground.
Bram struggled, his confidence finally faltering as he realized Asher wasn’t letting go.
“It’s over,” Asher said, his fangs glinting.
With a final, savage motion, Asher drove a shard of broken brick into Bram’s chest, straight through his heart.
Bram’s body convulsed, his mouth opening in a silent scream before he went still.
The alley fell silent. Asher stood over Bram’s lifeless body, his chest heaving, his fists still clenched. The feral glow in his eyes faded slightly as he turned to me.
I managed to push myself upright, clutching my bleeding side. “Asher…”
Asher tightened his jaw, clenched his fists at his sides as he took slow, deliberate steps toward me. The air between us felt heavy, charged with everything left unsaid.
“You turned me,” he said at last.
I nodded, words sticking to the back of my throat. What could I say that wouldn’t make this worse?
Every step I’d taken to protect him now felt like it had shattered something fragile between us.
His anger and his hurt pressed down on me, and I braced myself for the full force of it.
“I hate what you’ve done to me,” he said, his voice breaking on the edges. “You took away my choice, Gael.” His hands flexed, like he didn’t know if he wanted to hit me or just scream. “But I understand why you did it.”
His words cut deeper than any blade Bram had wielded.
Relief and guilt collided in my chest, clawing at me, leaving me hollow.
My throat worked around the knot of emotions threatening to choke me, but nothing came out.
“I’m still angry,” he continued, his piercing gaze pinning me in place. His tone softened, trembling with something I couldn’t quite name. “But right now? I’m just glad you’re alive.”
The knot in my chest unraveled slightly, replaced by a fragile, tentative warmth.
The corner of my mouth twitched despite myself, the faintest smile breaking through the exhaustion. “Likewise,” I said.
For a moment, the world around us disappeared. The blood on our clothes, the bruises on our bodies, the chaos of the past few days all faded into the background.
We stood there, battered and raw, but together. The silence between us wasn’t awkward or heavy now. It was filled with unspoken promises.
I wanted to apologize, to tell him how sorry I was for taking his choice, for everything I’d dragged him into, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.
They wouldn’t be enough. Maybe they never would be.
Instead, I took a step closer, testing the fragile peace.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me,” I said quietly, my voice rough. “But I won’t stop trying to make this right.”
Asher’s lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, I thought he might pull away. But he didn’t.
He stayed, his stance still tense, but his eyes softened just enough to let me relax.
“This isn’t something you can just fix, Gael,” he said. “But... I don’t know. Maybe we’ll figure it out.”
Hope flickered to life in my chest, tentative and fragile but there nonetheless. I nodded, knowing it was the closest thing to a truce we could manage right now.
