Page 297 of Untamed

I nod once.

It’s not victory. It’s not relief. But it’s something. A sliver of control in a world where everything else has been stolen from me.

Because I may not get to choose who stands beside me at that altar. But I’ll be damned if I let Ares believe that any part of me will belong to Nicolai. He needs to know that I will be his...always.

The corridor feels endless. Each step echoes too loudly against the marble, and my heart thrashes harder the closer we get. Two guards flank me, silent, watchful. I keep my chin lifted, but inside I’m crumbling. Every instinct is screaming at me to run. But I can’t, not without seeing him.

We stop outside a heavy oak door. One of the guards unlocks and then opens it.

The door swings open, and for a moment, I just stand in the doorway before stepping inside.

The air is cool, sterile. Dim light leaks through a barred window, casting long shadows across the floor.

Ares is there, seated, his wrists bound to the arms of the chair with thick leather straps, his ankles restrained just as tightly. Bruises blossom across his cheekbone and jaw, a gash along his temple still oozing blood.

His lip is split; dried blood crusted at the corner of his mouth. One eye is swollen, nearly shut, and purple shadows bloom beneath both. He’s shirtless, his body soaked in sweat and streaks of blood, revealing angry welts along his chest and ribs...proof of the merciless beating he’s endured.

Despite it all, his body is coiled with rage, every muscle straining against the restraints. His obsidian eyes remain fixed on the floor, but the fury radiating off him is palpable,lethal.

Given the torture he’s endured, it’s clear he hasn’t broken him.

I can’t contain the gasp that escapes me the moment I see him. My vision blurs, and I fight back the sob that is clawing at my throat.

Ares looks up the second he hears me, and everything in him changes.

“Jordyn.” My name falls from his lips like an oath, like a prayer. His voice is raw, hoarse from hours without use, and I feel my heart snap in two.

It’s all my fault. He’s hurt and it’s because of me.

I want to run to him. Throw my arms around him. Undo everything, but I can’t.

I take a shaky step forward. The guards stay just inside the door.

Ares strains against the restraints, his hands fisting tight. “Are you hurt?” he demands, his one good eye scanning me. “Did he touch you?”

“No. I’m okay,” I whisper. “God, Ares look at what they’ve done to you.” My hands lift to reach for him, but I can feel the guards behind me watching, so I force the down.

“Don’t worry about me.” He breathes hard. “You shouldn’t be here. You need to get out. Listen to me, Dant?—”

“I came to say goodbye,” I say before he can finish. My voice wobbles as I fight my emotions. “Nicolai’s letting you walk out of here and he’s given me his word he won’t come after you. But only if I go through with it.”

Ares goes still.

“No,” he hisses, voice low and lethal. “No, Jordyn, you’re not doing this. You’re not giving yourself to him to save me.”

“If I don’t, he’ll kill you.”

“Let him.” His voice hardens. “I’m not worth this, Jordyn.”

“Yes,” I whisper, “You are. You’re worth it to me.”

His eyes lock on mine, wild and desperate. “No, bambina. You don’t get to save me like this. You don’t get to trade your soul for mine. I won’t let you.”

I step closer, hands trembling at my sides. “It’s the only way I can protect you. You think I don’t feel like I’m dying inside? But he’ll let you walk out of here, and that’s all I care about right now. You living. Us surviving. Even if it is separately.”

His jaw works like he’s biting back everything he wants to scream. “Jordyn?—”

“I have to,” I say, breathless. “But I need you to promise me something.”

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