The cold rain soaked through my shirt, blending with the blood that stained every inch of me. My fists were still trembling—raw, bruised, and shaking from exhaustion. I stepped out of the Everhart mansion, the world blurry and distant, my breath shallow.
Bodies were everywhere.
Ten near the entrance. Fifteen more by the hallway. Twenty shattered in the courtyard. I was surrounded by the aftermath of war. Henry was dead. The man who took my father’s life… was finally gone.
But at what cost?
I staggered to the front gate, my boots slipping on the rain-slicked stone. My strength was gone. Everything—my muscles, my spirit, my mind—was hanging by a thread. My legs buckled. I sank down by the gate, leaning my head back against the cold iron bars, letting the rain wash over me.
And then—
Da
