The wind on the wall smelled of smoke, blood, and the desperation of loss.
Despite the men closing in on them, Lyra’s feet wouldn’t move.
“If we don’t make it out of this... I want you to know that I love you.”
The confession hit her harder than the ram that broke through the fortress’s gate. Years of small interactions were colored differently. The way he smiled at her, always wanted to be in the infirmary, pushed her to eat the extra pieces Mara set on her plate, and the way he spoke to her all suddenly made sense. She’d never thought of anyone that way in Iron Claw. Kade was ripped away from her, cleaving her heart apart. Darius terrified her and made it very clear what her future held. Her heart always wrestled with those things; it never occurred to her that there were any other
