The damp chill of the cave seeped through my clothes as I raced deeper into the darkness. Each second felt like an eternity. My heart pounded against my ribs, and my lungs burned from exertion, but I couldn't slow down. Not when Isabelle was in danger.
"Hang on," I whispered into the darkness. "I'm coming for you, Isabelle."
The tracking ritual had taken more out of than I'd expected. Blood still occasionally dripped from my nose, and my vision blurred at the edges. But none of that mattered. All that mattered was finding her before...
I couldn't even finish the thought. The idea of anyone hurting Isabelle made sothing primal and violent rise up inside .
The narrow passage suddenly widened into a larger chamber, and I heard voices echoing ahead. I slowed my pace, moving silently now, listening.
"I don't care what the boss said," a gruff voice complained. "We've been sitting in this stinking cave for hours. Who's gonna know if we have a little fun first?"
My blood turned to ice in my veins.
"She's a pretty little thing," another voice agreed. "Sha to waste the opportunity."
I peered around a rock formation and finally saw them. Two n stood over Isabelle, who sat with her back against the wall, her hands bound in front of her. Despite her situation, her face remained composed, almost unnervingly calm.
"You seem very confident for n who are about to die," she said, her voice steady.
Her captors exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.
"Listen to her!" the taller one wheezed. "We're miles from anywhere, sweetheart. No one knows you're here."
The shorter man crouched down, reaching for her face. "Let's see if you're still talking brave after—"
I didn't let him finish. I grabbed a stone from the ground and hurled it with all my strength. It struck him in the temple with a sickening crack, and he crumpled to the ground.
The taller kidnapper spun around, his hand reaching for the gun at his waist. "What the—"
I stepped into the light, letting him see fully. "Step away from her. Now."
His eyes widened in recognition. "Knight? How the hell did you find us?"
"Liam!" Isabelle's voice broke slightly, the first crack in her composure.
The man pulled his gun, but I was already moving. I closed the distance between us in two strides, knocking the weapon from his hand before he could aim. His fist swung at my face, and I let it connect, barely feeling the impact through my rage. I wanted him to think he had a chance.
I grabbed his throat, squeezing just enough to make him struggle for breath. "Who sent you?" I demanded.
"Go to hell," he spat.
Without looking away from him, I addressed Isabelle. "Are you hurt?" This chapter was uploaded by the team at *.
"No," she answered, her voice steadier now. "They didn't have ti."
Relief flooded through , making my knees weak for a mont. Then I refocused on the man clawing at my hand.
"Last chance," I warned him. "Who hired you?"
The second kidnapper was stirring now, groaning as he held his bleeding head. I released the first man, kicking him hard in the chest to send him sprawling. Then I turned to the other, pressing my foot against his throat.
"Your friend doesn't want to talk. Maybe you're smarter."
"We don't know anything!" he gasped. "We just got paid to grab the girl!"
I increased the pressure slightly. "By who?"
"Blackwood!" the man choked out. "Gideon Blackwood! He arranged everything!"
The first kidnapper cursed. "Shut your mouth, you idiot!"
Gideon Blackwood. Of course. The man I'd humiliated at the auction, the man whose career I'd nearly destroyed. The man I'd let live.
My mistake. My terrible mistake.
I moved to Isabelle, kneeling beside her to untie her bonds. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my fingers trembling as I worked at the ropes. "This is my fault. I should have ended Blackwood when I had the chance."
Her eyes t mine, steady and clear despite everything. "You couldn't have known."
"I should have," I insisted, finally freeing her hands. "I knew what kind of man he was."
As the ropes fell away, Isabelle rubbed her wrists. There were angry red marks where she'd been bound too tightly. The sight of those marks sent fresh rage coursing through .
The kidnappers were both on their feet now, watching us warily, perhaps calculating their chances of escape. I turned to face them, stepping in front of Isabelle protectively.
"You were going to hurt her," I said, my voice deceptively calm. "You were going to do unspeakable things to her."
"Look, man," the taller one said nervously, "we were just following orders. We weren't really gonna—"
"Don't lie to ," I cut him off. "I heard you. I saw you reaching for her."
They backed up as I advanced, fear evident in their eyes now.
"Blackwood just wanted us to hold her," the shorter one babbled. "Use her as leverage to get back at you. That's all!"
"And yet you couldn't even follow those simple instructions," I said coldly. "You had to take it further."
I lunged forward, grabbing the taller one by the throat again. This ti, I didn't hold back. I slamd him against the rock wall hard enough to make his head bounce.
"Please," he wheezed. "I have money. I can pay you—"
"I don't want your money," I snarled. "I want you to understand sothing. Anyone who threatens Isabelle, anyone who even thinks about harming her..." I tightened my grip. "They don't get to walk away."
The shorter kidnapper made a break for it, scrambling toward the exit. Without releasing my hold on the first man, I called out, "Isabelle, in my right pocket. There's a dagger."
She hesitated only a mont before reaching into my pocket and withdrawing the blade. With surprising accuracy, she threw it. The dagger embedded itself in the fleeing man's calf, dropping him with a howl of pain.
I glanced at her with newfound appreciation. "Nicely done."
"My grandfather insisted on self-defense training," she explained with a small shrug.
The man in my grasp was turning purple, his eyes bulging. I released him just before he lost consciousness, letting him collapse to the ground, gasping for air. I dragged the other kidnapper back, throwing him beside his partner.
"Gideon Blackwood," I said, looming over them. "Tell everything."
Through wheezing breaths and terrified stamrs, they revealed Blackwood's plan: kidnap Isabelle, force to publicly humiliate myself by withdrawing all my business interests in exchange for her safe return, then kill her anyway as final revenge.
Each word they spoke sealed their fate.
"I made a mistake with Blackwood," I said quietly, more to myself than to them. "I showed rcy when I should have shown judgnt. I won't make that mistake again."
I looked at Isabelle. Her face was pale but resolute. "Go wait in the passage," I told her. "You don't need to see this."
She held my gaze for a long mont, understanding exactly what I intended. Without a word, she turned and walked toward the entrance of the chamber.
The kidnappers began pleading then, offering money, information, anything to save their lives. I listened to their desperate bargaining with cold detachnt.
"You touched what is mine," I said simply. "You would have done worse if I hadn't arrived when I did. There's only one sentence for that."
I moved with swift precision, grabbing the first man's head between my hands. One quick, powerful twist, and his neck snapped with an audible crack. The second man scread, scrambling backward until he hit the wall. I stalked toward him thodically, like a predator cornering its prey.
"Please," he sobbed. "I have a family!"
"You should have thought about them before you decided to assault an innocent woman," I replied, reaching for him.
A mont later, it was done. I stood over their bodies, feeling nothing but a cold sense of justice. "Anyone who dares to touch Isabelle has to die!"
My words echoed in the empty chamber. I took a deep breath, steadying myself, then walked to where Isabelle waited in the passageway. Her eyes t mine, and I saw no judgnt there, only a quiet understanding.
"It's done," I said simply.
She nodded. "And Blackwood?"
A dangerous smile spread across my face. "He's next."
I took her hand, leading her toward the exit and the night air beyond. The ritual blood magic had weakened , and the fight had drained what little energy I had left, but fury and purpose drove forward. Gideon Blackwood had made the gravest mistake of his life when he'd targeted Isabelle.
And before this night was over, I would make sure he understood exactly what it cost to provoke my wrath.
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