Chapter 34 · The Forbidden Truth

"You're not a key, Ivy. You're a fucking casket."

Silas didn't just say it. He spat it. He wore a grin that made my skin crawl, his eyes dancing with a sick kind of triumph.

I backed away, heels clicking sharp against the marble. The air in the room vanished. I looked at Cain. He hadn't moved, chest still heaving, the ghost of our kiss still burning on my lips. But his eyes—dark, predatory—were locked on Silas with lethal focus.

"What the hell are you talking about, Silas?"

Cain's voice was a low growl. The sound a predator makes right before it rips a throat out.

Silas laughed. A jagged, manic sound that echoed off the high ceilings. "Oh, come on, Regent. You actually thought you found a miracle? A little low-blood girl to soothe your rage?"

He stepped toward me, eyes gleaming. "She wasn't born to save you. She was designed to erase you. Her blood isn't a cure—it's a slow-acting poison. And the punchline? The trigger isn't time."

He paused, leaning in. "It's emotion."

My face went cold. "I'm not... I'm not a weapon,"\ I whispered. I sounded small. Pathetic.

"You are," Silas snapped.