The walk home was quiet, too quiet for my liking. Every step echoed with the weight of everything that had happened. The Codex thrown out. Victor walking freely. Madam Vale and Henry Everhart untouchable.
By the time I got back to my place, my shoulders felt like stone. I kicked off my boots and dropped onto the bed, not bothering to turn on the light. The ceiling stared back blankly as I lay there, hands behind my head, my body still and mind racing.
Alex.
My chest tightened at the thought of him—his laugh, the way he used to challenge me at the range, his stupid jokes. And Daniel… another soul taken too soon. People I cared about, gone. Because of this city. Because of them.
I shut my eyes, jaw clenched.
I couldn’t let it end like this. Their lives couldn’t be just another page in t
