Chapter 10 - ASHES AND BLOOD
Adrian dropped to his knees before me, his hands shaking as he broke the chains. He was covered in soot and blood, breathing heavily. "Elena. Are you hurt?" I shook my head, collapsing into his chest. He held me so tightly I could barely breathe, burying his face in my neck. "I tore the city apart," he whispered, his voice broken. "When I realized you were gone, I thought I had lost my mind." In the ashes of his enemies, the lines between our fake arrangement and our brutal reality completely vanished. I kissed him, tasting smoke and desperation.
