Chapter 23: The Queen Must Bleed

The attack came at 3:17 a.m.

Not in the streets.

Not in a warehouse.

But in our home.

They slipped in through the back gate.

Quiet.

Precise.

Deadly.

I heard the first scream before I saw the blood.

Kyler was already grabbing his gun.

Then he turned to me, eyes wide. "Stay in the safe room."

"No," I said. "Not this time."

"Ash—"

"I'm not hiding."

He didn't argue.

He just nodded.

Because he knew…

The girl he met was gone.

Gunshots exploded.

Shadows moved like wolves.

I fired my first shot—and hit a man in the leg.

He screamed.

I didn't flinch.

Because now, I knew:

Mercy is for those who never tried to break you.

We fought like hell.

Room to room.

Wall to wall.

Blood on the floor, smoke in the air, fire in our bones.

By the time the sun rose…

Five men were dead.

And I was still standing.

But the cost?

One of our best guards.

Another innocent.

Gone.

And Kyler?

He was bleeding.

A stab wound to the side.

I held him as he winced, teeth gritted.

"Don't you dare die," I whispered.

"I won't," he hissed. "I have too much to lose."

That night, I sat at his bedside, holding his hand.

And I made a promise.

To him.

To myself.

To the blood we spilled and the names we buried.

"No one touches what's mine again. I swear it."

Then I walked out.

Found Dimitri's last location.

And I made a call.

"Tell him the queen isn't hiding anymore," I said. "Tell him I'm coming for his crown."