Chapter 25 · The Night Rafe Owes

"Rafe."

I hit the floor before the glass stopped falling. Shards everywhere. I didn't care. I was already crawling, hands slipping through blood and broken edges, reaching for him.

He was slumped against the back wall. Not moving. His shirt hung open, torn straight down, and the wounds underneath weren't healing. Silver burns carved across his ribs in jagged lines. His chest barely moved.

"Rafe." I grabbed his face. Cold. Too cold. "Stay with me."

His eyes cracked open. Gold, but fading. "You picked wrong."

"Shut up." I pressed my palm against the worst burn. The mark on my hand flared hot. His blood soaked through my fingers. "I'm not losing you."

"Nia." Jonah's voice came from behind me. Rough. Wrecked. "You don't understand. He's the anchor. If he dies before the eclipse peaks, the whole pact collapses. Everyone walks free."

I didn't turn around. "Then they stay chained."

"He killed people for Celia. He hunted your friends. He would've killed you if the bond hadn't snapped first."

"I know." I did. I knew exactly what Rafe was. What he'd done. And I was still here, hands covered in his blood, trying to hold him together.