Page 153 of Shattered By Grace

Her gaze snapped up.

Tristan stood over him.

Chapter Sixty-Eight

The roar of the crowd faded beneath the pounding of Victoria’s heart.

Her eyes flickered to Lena’s belongings on the ground, the remains of a fight too close, too brutal. She bent down, snatching the necklace from the mat, the cool metal a stark contrast to the heat of her skin. Her fingers curled around the shape of the dagger, her knuckles slick with blood.

With one last glance at the bloodied mat, she turned away, her steps heavy as she walked to where her heels lay abandoned, the weight of them grounding her as the arena spun behind her.

“Victoria!”

His voice cut through the chaos, frantic and urgent.

She didn’t think. She just moved. The burn in her lungs, the blood still dripping from her knuckles, felt distant, insignificant. She sprinted toward him, driven by the desperation in his gaze. His eyes locked onto hers, dark and hungry with something more than fear.

Then she leapt.

His arms were there, catching her effortlessly, holding her like she was the last thing that mattered in the world. Theirbreaths came in ragged bursts, chests rising and falling in unison, desperately clinging to something real. For a fleeting second, everything else faded. The chaos, the blood, the bodies.

She was safe. Here. With him.

His fingers threaded through her hair, pulling her closer, gripping like he never wanted to let go. Then, without warning, his mouth crashed against hers, raw and desperate, the kind of kiss that spoke more than words ever could.

“I—I killed…,” she choked out, her voice trembling with the weight of it, but the sentence died on her lips. Tears streaked down her face, mixing with the blood and sweat on her skin.

“I know,” Tristan whispered, his voice thick, almost broken. “You’re safe.”

“Taylor?” Her voice barely escaped.

Tristan gently lowered her, keeping his hand at her back, guiding her forward as they made their way to the platform. Justin was long gone, his blood marking the ground in dark splotches. Two bodyguards lay unconscious near the edge, but Victoria wasn’t looking at them. Her eyes were already searching for her friend.

“Taylor!” Her voice cracked as she called out, frantic.

“Right here,” Tristan said, his voice firm, pulling back a curtain.

In the corner, Taylor was huddled in a ball, her face streaked with tears. Victoria’s heart clenched at the sight. She ran toward her, but suddenly…

Cassian.

He’d regained consciousness.

But he didn’t move. He didn’t need to. He was waiting. Watching. Calculating his next move like a predator.

His hand shot out, grabbing Victoria’s leg with brutal force. Before she could even react, he yanked her to the ground, pulling her body toward his with a grip like iron.

He was on top of her in seconds, his hands tightening around her neck, choking the breath from her lungs.

Victoria gasped, her body bucking, fighting against the suffocating pressure. Her hands instinctively reached for the dagger she still held in her grasp. She twisted it with every ounce of strength, driving it deep into his arm. The sickening sound of metal slicing flesh echoed in her ears.

Cassian’s roar rang out, but he didn’t loosen his grip. He was relentless. His eyes blazed with fury, like a wolf zeroing in on its prey.

But he underestimated one thing.

Tristan.

Tristan’s movement was a blur, cold and ruthless. He’d seen Cassian’s game. He knew exactly where to strike.

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