Chapter 48

Béke Day Thirteen

"We have to go!" Vadim burst through the door, bloodied and bruised. Domi, Kaztar, and I had returned to our temporary residence in the Iron Realm after my brother and his friends raced from the parade, creating chaos in their wake.

Viktor and Endre dragged a bound and broken Kazimir in behind them, his face even bloodier than my brother's. Kaztar jumped to his feet, mouth parting slightly as he took in the sight of them. "What the fuck happened?"

"There's no time to explain. If we don't get out of the Iron Realm, now, we're all dead," Viktor snapped.

Kaztar needed no extra incentive to pack his and Domi's bags. He was insanely protective of his wife, and Domi and I shared a worried look as the males scrambled to get their shit together. My brother stood guard over Kazimir while Endre and Viktor raced between rooms, grabbing and shoving everything they found into bags without a care for ownership or tidiness.

Kazimir only hung his head and remained kneeling on the floor, unable to look at me or anyone else. That damned crown was nowhere to be found, and iron chains bound his wrists.

My stomach dropped as my brain started working.

What did he do? And where was Izidora?

"Why aren't you moving, Liliana? We have to go!" Vadim shouted at me.

"I'm not leaving." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Where is Izidora?"

A choked sound emanated from Kazimir's chest, and my fury landed squarely on him. "What did you do?" I hissed, stalking forward, fists trembling by my side. When he didn't respond, I shoved at his chest. "What did you do, asshole? If you hurt my best friend, I'll kill you myself."

"Hey!" Vadim shouted at me, and with murder in my heart, I tore my gaze from Kazimir to my brother.

"What?" I snapped.

"Now is not the time. We need to go," he shot back.

Domi stalked to my side, crossing her arms as we stared down my brother. "Not until we know what happened to her."

"She's dead or dying, who knows? We can't stay and find out," Viktor snarled, shoving what looked like one of my dresses into a bag with extra force.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I screeched, turning on the king of the Night Realm. "What the fuck is wrong with you! What did she ever do to you to make you want to kill her? You stalked her, you hurt her, you intimidated her every–"

"Enough!" Viktor shouted, forcing me to sidestep as he barreled toward us, arms laden with our bags.

Endre reached for Kazimir, and he and Vadim hauled the broken male to his feet before heading for the door. Domi and I shared a long, knowing look, and I gave her a nearly imperceptible nod before she took Kaztar's outstretched hand and allowed him to lead her toward the open door.

"Liliana! Please come on." My brother begged me to join him, his face pained and concerned as I stood my ground. "Mother and father will kill me if I leave you behind."

"You're not leaving me. I am choosing to stay." My voice trembled with my barely contained rage, masking the grief that threatened to suck me under and never let me go.

Izidora had to be okay.

The Goddess wouldn"t grant my wish only to steal it away, would she?

Endre looked stricken, his beautiful peridot eyes shining with worry. "You're staying?" He dropped Kazimir's arm and took three steps toward me. "Liliana, you will die, we will die, if we stay."

"Izidora is my best friend. I am not leaving her." But my voice was strained as the male I was falling in love with looked at me like I was the air he needed to breathe and I alone was responsible for suffocating him.

"Please, come with me," Endre begged, half stumbling as he fell to his knees before me.

Every fight over Kazimir and Izidora, every harsh word we'd said to one another, every sensual touch we'd shared, all hung in the air between us. My heart broke as I opened my mouth to speak, then shut it again before I drew a serrated breath and said the words I had known were inevitable.

Yet they shattered me anyway.

"I can't," I whispered, brushing his messy locks away from his face.

Endre sucked in a breath, then with a slowness we didn't have time for, rose and embraced me as if it was the last time we would ever touch. His mouth captured mine in a searing kiss, tongue twining against mine. Two strong hands grasped my lower back, and Endre bent me over as he deepened our goodbye. His messy black hair brushed against my forehead as he broke us apart. "I love you, Liliana, so I will wait for you until you are ready to find me again. I will always wait for you."

My vision blurred as he spun away from me, leaving me breathless and without a moment to respond to his words.

Vadim looked between Kazimir, Endre, me, and the rest of the Night Fae fleeing the citadel. "Fuck!" he roared. "Take care of yourself. I've taught you well. Love you, Lil."

And with that, the two males I loved most of all vanished down a chaotic hall, racing for their lives out of the Iron Realm.