Page 49 of Savage Bond

His expression shifts slightly—irritation flickering beneath his calm facade.

“We’ll see about that.”

I brace for the impact, my heart hammering in my chest.

The interrogator leans down, his breath hot against my ear.

“You’re just another Marlowe,” he whispers, the venom dripping from each word. “Following in the footsteps of your father and brother—both failures. Your family’s legacy is one of disgrace.”

My heart drops. The memories flood back like a tidal wave, drowning me in regret and anger. I remember the day they executed my father—his defiance, the way he stood tall even as they dragged him to his fate. The gunfire echoes in my mind, a cruel reminder of how their choices shaped mine.

Then there’s my brother, taken from me too soon, his death shrouded in lies and uncertainty. I was only a child when they told me he had died in action—a hero, they said. But what did that even mean? I never got to see him again; never got to say goodbye.

A shiver runs down my spine at the thought of their names echoing through these walls—the weight of their legacies hanging over me like a noose.

“Look at you,” the interrogator continues, voice dripping with disdain. “Hiding behind your uniform, pretending you belong here when you don’t. You think you can change that? You’re just as weak as they were.”

His words slice through me, sharp and unforgiving. I swallow hard, trying to keep the bile rising in my throat at bay.

I wanted so badly to be different—to rise above their failures and prove that Marlowes could succeed within the IHC. Instead, I find myself shackled here, waiting for my fate while clinging to fleeting memories of who I was meant to be.

“Do you even understand what’s at stake?” he sneers. “You could’ve had a future—a real future—if you’d just kept your distance from that Reaper.”

But now… it feels inevitable. The walls close in around me as despair grips my heart like an iron vice. My vision blurs as tears threaten to spill; if I allow them to fall, I’ll shatter into pieces.

I take a shaky breath, forcing myself to look him in the eye. But inside? Inside, dread coils tight—a whisper that says this might be it: I’m going to die just like them.

I don’t have time to respond before the lights flicker—a quick blink of uncertainty. Then a violent boom rattles the very foundation of this hellhole. The sirens wail like banshees, flashing red lights casting everything in a frantic glow.

The interrogator straightens, eyes wide. His comm crackles to life, panic spilling through the static.

“Hull breach—sector four. We’re under attack!”

Before I can process what that means, a guard bursts into the room, wild-eyed and frantic.

“No time—execute the traitor now!”

My blood turns cold as they yank me from my knees, chains clanking as they drag me through the chaos of flickering corridors and blaring alarms.

“Let me go!” I scream, kicking out with every ounce of strength left in my battered body. But my cries dissolve into the madness around us; no one cares. They haul me down twisting hallways that pulse with red light and fear.

The guards push me into the central hold, a vast space lined with steel beams and ominous arc lamps buzzing overhead. My eyes dart around, searching for any chance of escape—but hope dies quickly when I spot the execution platform in the center.

A high-ranking officer stands there, arms crossed over his chest, indifference painted on his face as if he’s already written me off as dead. He used to inspire respect within me—now he embodies everything I despise.

They shove me to my knees on the cold metal floor, the chill biting into my skin.

A deep voice resonates from behind me—someone is charging their weapon.

I squeeze my eyes shut, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing my fear. Memories flood back—the warmth of Kairon’s presence beside me in that jungle camp, his fierce gaze as he fought for survival against impossible odds. My breath catchesat the thought of him; would he come for me? Would he break through this hellish nightmare?

The world fades to silence as I prepare for the end, my heartbeat slowing, teeth clenched.

“Do it already!” someone demands, the tension sharp enough to cut.

And then?—

Light.

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