Chapter 125 ...
Amarien's POV
"You!" His amber eyes ignited
The word tore from Daevir like a blade unsheathed.
My heart skipped a beat.
Fury rolled off him in waves so palpable I felt it against my skin.
He had once said my name with that same fire, only then it had been hunger, not hatred.
Now it burned with vengeance.
Theron's gaze whipped toward me, following Daevir's line of sight. For a fraction of a second, his expression hardened into a protective, territorial gaze.
Then his lips curved into a devilish smirk.
The smile of a predator who had just realized his enemy had bared a weakness.
"I believe," Theron said smoothly, stepping slightly forward to Daevir, "you came to battle your equal, Daevir. Not women."
Daevir did not look at him.
He did not blink.
He did not move.
His eyes never left mine.
The venom in them was suffocating.
"You hide behind that red mask now?" he said, voice low and lethal. "Is that what you've become?"
The words struck harder than any blade.
I straightened. If he expected me to cower, to look away, to tremble…
I WILL NOT.
I steadied my breathing.
Matched his stare.
Matched his hatred.
"Leave this place," I said, my voice carrying across the clearing. "You don't belong here."
The wind shifted between us, carrying the scent of blood and smoke.
His jaw tightened.
For a second, just a second, I saw something flicker in his gaze.
Hurt.
Then it vanished, swallowed by rage.
"Leave?" He scoffed, almost laughing. "After what you did to my son?"
The words hit me like a physical blow.
My fingers curled at my sides, but I did not break eye contact.
"You dare stand there," he continued, voice rising, "in the territory of beasts and tell me to leave?"
His gaze raked over me.
"With every child that has fallen," he went on, "with every whisper of curse tied to your name!"
"I did nothing to your son!" I cut in, though my voice felt thinner than I wanted.
His eyes flared brighter.
"Nothing?" he echoed.
For the first time, he took a step forward.
The movement was small.
But the entire clearing tensed.
Theron shifted his stance instantly, a low growl rumbling in his chest.
Daevir stopped just short of closing the distance.
"I watched him," he said, voice breaking into something far more dangerous than shouting—controlled fury. "I watched my child go blind. I wanted him cry all day because he can't see me! The only thing he gets from me is my voice and touch."
My stomach twisted.
"He will never see the sky," Daevir continued. "Never see the faces of those who love him."
The pain in his voice slipped through the cracks of his anger.
And it pierced me.
I know that feeling. I felt worse with my child. I wanted to say, but I pressed my mouth shut.
"He bears my blood," Daevir said, "and someone decided to make him pay for sins he did not commit."
His gaze sharpened again, locking onto me with brutal certainty.
"I am not going anywhere, Amarien," he said slowly, each word deliberate. "Not until you all pay for his sight!"
The air felt thinner.
My chest rose and fell too fast.
Theron's smile faded into something colder.
"Careful," he warned quietly. "You tread on sovereign ground, Emperor."
But Daevir did not look at him.
He only looked at me, hatred in my eyes.
Theron moved first and began to pace around Daevir slowly, deliberately, like a predator savoring the final moments before the kill.
"What are you going to do about it, Theron?" Daevir's gaze whipped back to Theron.
Their eyes met like a clash of steel.
"I'm going to enjoy this," Theron said softly.
Daevir's jaw tightened, his sword lifting just slightly as he adjusted his stance. Even wounded, even outnumbered in Southern territory, he stood like a king who had never bowed to anything.
The air snapped.
Daevir moved.
It was sudden and explosive.
He surged forward with terrifying speed and flashed his sword in a deadly arc aimed straight for Theron's throat.
Theron's hand shot up, catching Daevir's wrist mid-swing. The impact rang through the clearing like struck iron. The force of it sent a shock through both of them, leaves bursting upward from the ground.
Daevir twisted sharply, using his momentum to pivot and drive his shoulder into Theron's chest. The collision thundered. Theron staggered back a half step but did not fall.
Daevir didn't pause.
He drove forward again, this time abandoning the sword entirely, revealing his long, sharp claws.
He lunged.
The impact when he struck Theron was brutal.
They crashed to the earth in a spray of dirt and blood. Daevir's claws snapped inches from Theron's throat, claws raking across his ribs.
Theron grunted and then drove his knee upward with savage force.
The blow connected squarely beneath Daevir's chest.
Daevir was launched backward.
He hit the ground hard, skidding across torn earth before rolling and regaining his footing in one fluid motion.
Theron rose slowly.
He spat blood from the corner of his mouth.
Then he smiled, amused and thrilled. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes that spelled DEATH.
Without warning, he lunged.
The ground seemed to quake under the force of him. His claw came down like a falling tree.
Daevir twisted aside, but not fully.
The strike caught his shoulder and sent him stumbling, claws carving deep furrows into his flank. He regained balance, snapping forward with lightning speed, teeth sinking into Theron's forearm.
Theron roared.
He wrenched his arm free and swung with his other hand, the back of his massive claw smashing into Daevir's skull.
The crack echoed.
Daevir flew sideways, hitting the ground on his feet like a wild beast.
Shaking his head once.
Blood streaked through his armour, but his amber eyes burned brighter.
He charged again.
This time, he aimed low, tackling Theron at the waist. Daevir's claws raked across Theron's thigh.
Theron retaliated with brutal precision, gripping Daevir by the scruff and hurling him upward.
Up.
And then down.
Daevir landed on his feet. But Theron struck first.
A fist like iron slammed into Daevir's jaw.
The crack of bone split the air.
Daevir staggered but swung back immediately, his own punch catching Theron across the ribs with a force that echoed through the clearing.
Theron barely moved.
He laughed.
Then drove his elbow down onto Daevir's shoulder.
The impact forced Daevir to one knee. JUST ONE KNEE.
The ground dented beneath him. As I stayed there, face downward, heaving deep and heavy breath.
Daevir!