Page 89 of Bound to the Dreadlord

"She will be the death of you."

Something inside me snaps.

I move without thinking.

My next strike is not controlled.

It is not measured.

It is vicious.

The blade sinks into his side.

Xalith chokes on the pain.

The fight is over.

He falls to one knee, hand pressing against the wound.

I stand over my brother, blood dripping from my blade.

My chest rises, falls. Steady.

He looks up at me, lips curling.

"Careful, Dreadlord."His voice is thick with pain, but he is still grinning. "You’re starting to fight like a man with something to lose."

The words slam into me harder than his fists ever did.

I step back. Sheathe my blade. I do not react.

I turn, eyes locking onto my father’s.

Hazeran is expressionless.

But I see it. The quiet knowledge in his gaze.

He knows.

My brothers know.

I leave without a word.

I tell myself it means nothing.

But I feel it.

The shift.

The crack in my own foundation.

I hate that she caused it.

33

SERA

The silence in his chambers is unbearable.

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