Page 138 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty

I wish I wasn’t wearing this dress. If that was the case, I could have hit him harder.

“You were always such a sweet girl. So wronged by this cruel world, Dorothee. If it makes you feel a little better, it hurts me to know that I have to kill you. I’ll probably grieve your loss for the rest of my life,” Anwir said, and I saw almost sadness crossing his eyes as he forced my forehead to rest against his. Like he truly cared.

I looked over to Nathaniel, who pushed himself upright on his feet with all the strength he had left. I saw in his face how painful that must have been, but I knew what he was trying to do.

Anwir didn’t expect him to stand up again.

Instead of saying anything, I gritted my teeth at his bone crushing hold and spat him right in the face.

Anwir’s expression changed to anger, and he pulled back, so that he could look me in the eyes, where he only saw hatred.

My foot searched for the dagger while he held me firmly in his grip.

Come on.

I finally felt the cold steel against my flesh and pushed it by the hilt over to Nathaniel with all the strength I managed to come up with.

“I know you hate me right now, but believe me, if things had been different… in another life we could have been…different,” he gritted out, but my whole attention lay on Nathaniel picking up the dagger and glaring at the back of Anwir’s head before he came at him.

Anwir noticed my attention shifting from him and spun around, dodging Nathaniel’s attack. Instead, he caught Nathaniel’s arm with the dagger and twisted it until he dropped it.

Anwir hit him with his free hand, and Nathaniel crumbled to the ground, his strength leaving him once and for all.

I lunged for the dagger the same moment Anwir did, but I was closer and pointed the blade at him the second I got a hold of it. My hands were shaking. I’ve never pointed a weapon at anyone in my life. But this didn’t mean I was unable to wield it against someone who deserved it.

I wasn’t a killer and I didn’t want to be one, but if it came down to it, I’d put my life over his.

Anwir held his hands up, stepping closer, causing me to grip the hilt of the dagger tighter.

“Come on, Dorothee. We both know you couldn’t hurt a fly, you’re too kind for that,” he spoke lightly.

I clenched my jaw in fury. “Kindness doesn’t equal weakness. You have no idea the lengths I’d go to protect my friends, and wanting to protect myself is not selfish.”

He came closer and closer and while I asked myself if I could really stab someone to death. I gave my best to push this throughto the every end of my mind and concentrate on the fact that this man wanted to kill me, and stabbed my friend in the process.

He came at me so fast, it was almost impossible to react as he tried to make me drop the weapon. “You’re weak because you’re female. Think about it, why it were only ever the Kingstone men choosing power... because the De Loughrey women believed in the weakness of love for centuries,” he lashed out, throwing me to the ground and coming down on top of me. I fought and kicked at him, but he pinned the hand with the dagger to the earthy ground and took hold of my throat with the other hand, squeezing it until I rang for air. I pushed at his chest, but he was much stronger than I. When he squeezed harder, the hand where I was holding the dagger lost its hold, while my ears started ringing and the edge of my vision turned dark from the lack of oxygen.

“Anwir—” I croaked, but his clenched jaw didn’t twitch in the slightest.

He was going to strangle me.

My free hand fell slack on my chest and I felt cold metal where the star sat at the centre of my corset.Just in case.Naomi had told me when I pointed out how sharp the ends of the star were.

I fidgeted on the star with the last of my strength, my fingers tingling from the cut-off oxygen. The star came loose, and it took me everything to lift my arm and ram the sharp, dagger-like end of the star straight into Anwir’s ribs.

He let out a roar of pain, and his hand let go of my throat. I gasped for air, my lungs screaming. But there was no time. My vision was still blurred when I took hold of the dagger and stabbed him in the chest, making him scream.

I dragged myself toward Nathaniel on the dirty ground with a grunt of pain as my limbs trembled, and my head throbbed.

“We have to leave,” I rasped, each word burning in my throat.

Nathaniel leaned against the hedge, probably in too much pain to care for the thorns burying themselves in his back. He pressed a hand to his bloody side, shaking his head, his face deadly pale.

“You have to run,” he coughed out, and I shook my head.

“I’m not leaving you.”

He looked behind me and I followed his gaze where Anwir should have laid dead on the ground with a dagger in his heart, but he didn’t.

---