"Why do the men always have the honor to fight in war when women have the power to bring the army down to there knees"
A ruthless man is nothing but a man
A ruthless woman is everything a man wishes he could be.
What happens if the rebellion didn't...
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"I'm going home," I muttered, wiping the blood from my dagger onto my pants, the cold steel still humming in my hand. My legs ached, but it was nothing compared to the burning, jagged pain from the stab wound in my leg. I didn't have time to think about it. I had to move. I began walking toward the exit of the cell, the walls closing in with every step.
"Woah, woah, woah," Xaden's voice cut through the thick air. He grabbed my wrist, pulling me back. I tensed, my breath sharp and shallow as my pulse hammered in my ears.
"Don't," I hissed, my voice venomous with exhaustion. "I've been through enough today—tortured, mind-fucked, stabbed, sedated. So if you don't get your hands off of me in the next three seconds—"
"Nora," Xaden whispered urgently, his grip tightening. His voice was low, almost a growl, "What do you want to do with the body?"
I froze.
The memories of the bloodshed, of the person I'd left behind, the last trace of whatever humanity I still clung to, rushed to the forefront of my mind. I could feel the heat of rage build up in my chest.
"Burn it," I seethed, my voice flat and cold. There was no room for mercy.
Liam's voice rang out from behind us, hesitant but filled with concern. "But what about—"
"I'll burn it all," I snapped, cutting him off with an icy finality. Without another word, I shoved past Garrick, deliberately avoiding his gaze. My legs burned with every step, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. Not now.
In my haste to escape, I hadn't even realized how quickly I had found myself standing before the Hurd of dragons. The sight was surreal—dragons in all their glory, majestic and terrifying, their scales glinting under the fading sun. But I didn't care about their magnificence. I cared about the quiet power that hummed through the ground beneath me.
Each dragon was magnificent in its own right, an embodiment of something primal and ancient. Every single one lowered its head in unison, their snouts brushing against the earth in a gesture of deep reverence.
I could feel it. The earth beneath my feet pulsed, its rhythm matching my own heartbeat. The energy swirled upwards, surging through my legs, my hips, my torso—coursing into my chest. My arms tingled with raw, unspent power. It was as if the very core of the world was alive within me, its thrum melding with my own pulse. I was connected to something far older than any of us yet alive in me.
"You're alive, Fireheart," a deep voice rumbled from beside me.
Arrax.
His golden eyes gleamed, the bond between us undeniable, burning as fiercely as it ever had.
"I'm not easy to kill," I muttered, my voice low and heavy with exhaustion and fury. I didn't wait for anything more. Climbing into the saddle, I pressed my heels into Arrax's side. We surged into motion immediately.
As Arrax's wings beat against the air, lifting us higher, I could see the mansion—or was it a castle?—below us, a cold, looming structure on the horizon. The thought of what it represented made my stomach twist.
"You were gonna leave without us?" Imorgan's voice broke through the tension, filled with disbelief and anger. I didn't look back. My eyes were locked ahead, focused on what needed to be done. "No," I replied through clenched teeth, my voice cold as steel. "I was gonna finish what I started."
The power surged within me, a raw and ancient energy coursing through my veins, all the way down to my hand, still clenched tightly around the reins. I raised it, palm open to the sky. I could feel the power within, just beneath the surface—so much energy, so much fire waiting to be released. It was tempting to unleash it, to burn everything around me until nothing remained. But that wasn't the way. Not yet. Instead, I clenched my fist. It was foreign, the sigil beneath my skin burning hotter than I'd ever allowed it to before. I could feel the fire inside, but I didn't let it out. Not yet.
"Burn it, Arrax," I ordered, my voice unwavering. Without hesitation, Arrax banked hard and dove toward the mansion, his wings slicing through the air like a blade. We circled it once, twice, the heat of the flames in the air already crackling.
Then Arrax opened his mouth. A torrent of fire shot from his throat, a wave of heat that obliterated everything in its path.
The mansion—no, the castle—was consumed in an instant. Stone and wood melted under the inferno, reduced to ash and dust. The fire roared, consuming the last traces of that wretched place, turning it into nothing but smoldering ruin.
I could feel the heat, the power, the raw destruction in the air as we hovered above the wreckage. The dragons, the earth beneath us, the very sky seemed to hold its breath in the wake of that fire.
It was done.
I wasn't sure if I was relieved or just numb. But as we soared higher, the weight of it all pressing down on me, I couldn't bring myself to look back. The fire had done its work and the next stop is home.
I could feel Xaden tapping at the edges of my mind, his presence trying to break through the wall I'd built in my head, desperate to talk. But I wasn't having it. I was too damn stubborn, and he wasn't getting through. Not now.
What I didn't expect was for Sygley to show up. The pressure on my mind shifted abruptly, and I felt the wall I'd crafted crack and shatter like glass.
"He has not been made aware yet," she hissed, her voice seething with fury. "Garrick knows yet you are not his, he is nothing to you."
Her anger pulsed through my thoughts, thick and dangerous. "Garrick put it together, but Xaden didn't. So no—he doesn't know," I snapped, keeping my tone steady but deadly. I wasn't going to let her manipulate me into giving up any ground. Sygley's rage flared like a wildfire. "He will find out. And when he does, he will rain hell down on us all."
I felt her fury in my bones, but I wasn't intimidated. I met her anger with ice. "He will not find out from you, Sygley. Fire is my signet, not his. So if anyone is going to rain hell down on anyone—it's me."
The force of my words crackled in the air, and with a single, defiant thought, I slammed my mental walls back into place, stronger than before. This time, I was ready.
