CRIMSON MOON

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER 17: ASHES AND OATHS

(Selene’s POV)

Devereaux’s body slumped against the marble floor, his crimson eyes dimming into nothingness.

For a moment, everything was silent.

No more clashing steel. No more snarls of the dying. Just the sound of my own ragged breathing and the slow, dripping of blood.

My grip on the dagger didn’t loosen. I kept it buried in his heart, as if making sure he wouldn’t rise again. As if some monstrous part of him would claw its way back from the abyss and strike one final time.

But he was gone.

Damian stood over me, his chest heaving, his beast’s eyes still burning gold. Blood slicked his claws, his fangs bared.

But he was watching me.

Not the body. Me.

"Selene," he murmured.

His voice sounded like a tether, pulling me out of the darkness of my own mind.

I exhaled slowly. My fingers unclenched from the hilt of the dagger.

Devereaux’s body was already beginning to decay, his vampire essence unraveling into dust.

Ashes to ashes.

It was over.

I tried to stand, but a sharp flare of pain shot through my ribs. I sucked in a breath, staggering.

Damian caught me before I hit the ground.

"Easy," he rumbled. His arms tightened around me, solid and warm.

I should have pulled away. Should have told him I was fine.

But for just a moment—I let myself stay.

I leaned into his warmth, into the steady rhythm of his breathing.

His hand cupped the back of my head, careful, protective.

"You did it," he whispered.

We did it, I almost said.

But I was too tired. Too raw.

Instead, I just whispered, "It’s not over."

Because I knew—Devereaux’s death was just the beginning.

The Hollow Queen wouldn’t let this go unanswered. The power vacuum in Ravenshade would send every monster in the city clawing for control.

And Damian—

I shifted in his arms, looking up at him. His golden eyes still glowed.

The beast inside him wasn’t gone.

The curse hadn’t broken.

A cold, heavy weight settled in my chest.

I reached up, brushing my fingers against his jaw. "Damian," I murmured.

His gaze darkened. "I know."

The curse still bound him.

But Devereaux had been the key—hadn’t he? The one who had done this to Damian in the first place?

So why hadn’t it ended?

Damian exhaled, jaw clenching. "We need answers."

I nodded. "Then we find them."

Because one thing was certain—

I hadn’t fought this hard just to lose him now.