Jade was unconscious.
Lauren worked silently, trying to keep her stable.
Shade sat in the corner of the room, his hands covered in her blood, his mind unraveling.
He had killed Lucian. He had destroyed his creator.
And yet—
Nothing had changed.
The monster inside him was still there.
And now?
It was whispering to him.
You could've saved her.
Shade exhaled shakily.
You're not enough.
His nails dug into his palms.
But you could be.
His veins burned. The conditioning, the programming, the things Lucian had buried in him weren't gone. They were just waiting.
Waiting for him to break.
Waiting for him to let go.