Page 126 of Monsters Carve Thrones
I looked up at him–this man who had become my anchor, my destruction, and my salvation all at once. His eyes burned with conviction.
“If we succeed,” he said softly, “you will never have to fear again.”
My heart fluttered.
He leaned in, his forehead pressing to mine. “With them dead, our empire will thrive. And I swear to you, Adela, I’ll do anything for that. For you. I will carve our throne out of the blood of every last man who touched you, or stood by and let it happen. They sealed their fate the moment they took you from me.”
The moment they underestimated us.
Emotion welled up in my throat–rage, love, power, all tangled into something so much bigger than either of us. I kissed him like I could imprint this moment into his soul. He kissed me back like he was promising me war and victory in the same breath.
“I’m ready,” I whispered against his lips.
“Good,” came Kieran’s voice from the hall. “Because so are we.”
Rafe pulled back slowly, eyes never leaving mine, before finally turning toward the door.
It was time.
We were going to burn them all to the fucking ground.
***
The runway lights blinked in the darkness like a heartbeat. Our jet loomed ahead, sleek and black against the midnight sky, the engines humming. I took a deep breath as I climbed the steps behind Rafe, the chill air sweeping across my skin, reminding me that this was real.
The interior of the plane was spacious and dimly lit, with soft brown leather seats arranged around a central table. Kieran was already adjusting the cuffs of his black suit, his long dark hair tied back. He looked like death dressed for a gala.
Laura and Nico were settled across from him. Her legs were crossed, her body angled slightly into him. Nico’s tattooed fingers rested on her knee, the ink trailing up his hand and disappearing beneath the sleeve of his fitted black shirt. Even the side of his neck was inked–lines and symbols I’d never had the chance to ask him about. He looked like a man you didn’t want to fuck with. And he washers.
She looked… happy.
That alone made me feel steadier.
Rafe took his seat beside me and leaned forward, hands steepled over the polished table. His voice was low and calm. “Varga is the last pillar. Once he’s gone, the old network will collapse. Power will shift–fast. And when it does, we take control before anyone else even realizes it’s gone.”
Kieran gave a slow nod. “The men are already in place?”
Rafe glanced at him. “Three hotels. Different floors, different aliases. Full coverage. If Varga tries to run, we’ll have eyes on every route out of the city.”
“And if he doesn’t run?” Laura asked, her voice smooth and sharp.
Rafe looked at her. “Then we make sure he dies screaming.”
The plane’s engine roared louder as we picked up speed. Outside the window, the ground blurred, lights streaking into gold lines before lifting away entirely. I felt the shift in my gut as we took off, as if gravity were giving us permission to leave everything behind.
Nico leaned into Laura and murmured something against her ear. She smirked, lips twitching as her hand brushed over his tattooed forearm. There was a softness there. An intimacy I hadn’t seen in her before. My best friend, the sharp-tongued menace who could out-shoot half our crew, looked completely at peace.
I turned slightly in my seat to look at Rafe. He hadn’t stopped watching me. The cabin dimmed further as we settled into the flight, silence stretching between all of us. I took a deep breath as I relaxed all of my muscles. This was the kind of quiet that came before a horrifying storm.
***
Bratislava, Slovakia
The hotel suite was luxurious, with marble floors, minimalist furniture, and everything in shades of gray and beige. The kind of place people booked for important business, not bloody revenge.
We filed in, bags dropped by the door, all of us slightly wired from the flight and the knowledge of what was coming. Laura and Nico immediately claimed one of the bedrooms. Rafe and I took the other. Kieran tossed his duffel on the couch.
“I call dibs on the shower first,” Laura announced as she passed me with a wink. “I refuse to eat smelling like a gun bag.”
