Chapter 228 IN SAFE HANDS.

Chapter 228 IN SAFE HANDS.


AXEL’S POV:

Pain.

There are no words strong enough for what I felt. My shoulder had been twisted backward. Ribs cracked like branches under foot. One knee felt like it had been shattered from the inside out, and every breath I took dragged a thousand knives across my lungs. My vision faded but I kept my eyes on my wife.

She was suspended in the air, her limbs trembling, her screams fading into shallow whimpers. Her hand stretched over her stomach as if trying to protect the child we made with love and desperation. That sight tore through the agony.

Something inside me roared to life, louder than the bones grinding in my body. Stronger than death whispering in my ear. I had to get to her.

I tried to stand.

My left leg gave out.

I forced it back under me.

And then—the temple doors exploded.

Light surged in like a divine reckoning, and a silhouette darted through the dust.

A man. Young. Wild-eyed. Fast.

He raised his arm and threw a dagger, its blade glinting like silver lightning.

“The necklace!” he screamed. “STAB THE NECKLACE! IT'S THE SOURCE! HURRY!”

Akira turned her head slightly, sensing danger.

It was all I needed.

Fueled by the last fumes of rage and desperation, I leapt.

Every part of me screamed. I felt something rip again in my back—didn’t care. I caught her by the ankle mid-air, yanked her down with all the fury of a broken man in love.

She shrieked in fury, her body jerking like a puppet.

Before she could twist herself upright, I surged up from the ground and slammed her back down. My grip latched around her throat, but my eyes were fixed on the glowing necklace pulsing at her chest.

I raised the dagger with a shaking hand—and drove it down.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

The blade pierced through the necklace—and her skin beneath it—cracking the glowing gem in a spray of light.

She let out a scream.

A shriek that split the air, joined by thousands of other voices, resonating from the orb, the walls, the shadows. It was like the cries of every damned soul she’d bound to her hatred were finally being released.

The orb shattered.

Light burst in all directions then vanished.

Avery’s body fell from midair.

Without thinking, I twisted and threw myself beneath her, catching her against my chest. The jolt knocked the last strength from my limbs, and I collapsed onto the floor with her held tightly to me.

The stranger who had entered didn’t hesitate.

He grabbed a broken piece of wood from the ruins of the altar and plunged it deep into Akira’s chest where the dagger had left a wound. She wailed, convulsing. Her skin began to ripple like paper in fire.

“You’ll harm no one again,” he whispered.

She erupted into flames.

Not just her body—everything she was. Her screams turned to choking coughs, and then to silence. She withered in seconds, her skin folding inward like leaves scorched by heat.

Then she exploded.

Ash scattered into the air.

The man moved fast, pulling out a small vial and catching as much of it as he could, then corked it and clutched it to his chest like it was sacred.

He ran over to us.

“Are you both okay?” he asked breathlessly.

I tried to speak. Nothing came.

Everything was starting to spin again. The temple tilted. My fingers, still on Avery’s shoulder, went limp.

Footsteps. Dozens of them now.

I heard shouting, boots scraping, and then Thaddeus.

“Clear a path! Move! Where the hell is Cedric?!”

More boots. More noise. Guns reloaded. A perimeter was being formed.

“We’re here,” the man said urgently. “They’re both alive but bleeding out.”

Thaddeus’s voice came nearer. “We came with doctors—Cedric’s with us. Move, MOVE!”

My eyes fluttered. I saw Avery’s face inches from mine—her eyes closed, her lips parted. We were both still alive.

Barely.

And finally… finally—

We’d be in safe hands.

Darkness came.

And this time, I let it.



I jolted upright with a gasp, drenched in sweat and completely disoriented. My chest was heaving. My arms shook.

I looked around.

Where was I?

My throat was dry as bone when I rasped, “Where’s my wife?”

The door burst open almost instantly. Cedric hurried in, already sliding on gloves, panic on his face. “Axel! God, you're awake. I need to just hold on, let me check your vitals—”

I waved him off, gently, pushing his hands aside. “Where’s Avery?” I asked again, this time louder, steadier.

“She’s in the room next door. Resting.”

I started to stand.

“No—no, no, Axel, you can’t. You shouldn’t be able to move! Your ribs were fractured in four places, your arm was twisted behind your spine your knee Axel, it’s not possible—”

But I didn’t feel any of it. No stabbing ache. No tension. I swung my legs off the bed, testing my weight. My knees bent smoothly, too smoothly.

I wasn’t just standing, I was walking.

Cedric's jaw dropped as he watched me pass him. “This… this is medically impossible,” he muttered under his breath.

I didn’t care about medical impossibilities.

All I cared about was getting to her.

I found the next door slightly ajar. The moment I stepped in, my heart constricted.

There she was.

My Avery.

Laid on the bed, peaceful. Too peaceful. Medical equipment around her, wires ran across her arms, her pulse slow but steady on the monitor. Her belly rose and fell gently. My eyes locked on her lips, parted in sleep. Her skin had lost some color, but she was still the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on.

I sank down beside her, reaching for her hand.

“She’s okay,” Cedric whispered from behind me. “The baby too. She just… lost a lot of energy. Whatever happened… it drained her nearly to death. But she’s strong. They both are.”

A breath left my lungs, and, I thanked someone. “Thank you, Cedric. For staying. For everything.”

He gave a soft nod. But then, his eyes narrowed. “Axel… what happened back home?”

I turned to him, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

His gaze sharpened. “I mean, what happened when you… woke up?”

I tilted my head. “You’re going to have to be more specific. A lot happened.”

He looked like he was choosing his words carefully. “I mean… when you attacked…” he stopped himself.

I stared at him. I tried to remember but my brain was blank. A solid wall. “I don’t… remember anything. Just… waking up in that temple. That’s all.”

Cedric’s lips pressed together, but he didn’t press further.

“Where’s Ryan?” I asked next.

Cedric exhaled. “More than okay. No injuries. Thaddeus has him in holding, waiting for your word. We’ve all been through hell, Axel.”

I didn’t need to hear more. I marched out of the room. My bones should’ve protested, but they didn’t. Thaddeus snapped to attention when he saw me.

“Take me to Ryan,” I ordered.

“Boss—”

“Now.”

He nodded and led me through two doors guarded by men from our unit. Inside, Ryan stood against the far wall, his hands clasped behind his back like a soldier awaiting judgment.

I didn’t wait for words.

I crossed the room and pulled him into a hug.

It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t.

It was family.

For a second, Ryan just froze. Then I felt his hands gripping my back, tight, his body shaking against mine.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I didn’t share your pain. I didn’t see it. I should’ve seen it, Ryan.”

“No…” his voice was filled with remorse. “I'm sorry. Thaddeus … he filled me in on everything I’ve done. Axel, I wasn’t myself. I swear to you, I wasn’t.”

He pulled back, looking me in the eye. His were red, rimmed with guilt. “I can’t remember anything except… hiding those black boxes.”

My brows furrowed. “You hid them?”

He nodded slowly. “I knew I wasn’t myself. And something inside me told me to protect the boxes… to put them somewhere I’d never think to check. I think… somehow, I was trying to shield you. From myself.”

I swallowed hard. That admission… it broke me.

Even possessed, he tried to protect us.

“Axel… if you want to execute me, I’ll understand. I’ve caused too much pain—”

“No,” I cut him off. “You didn’t. It wasn’t you. It was a foul being, twisting every corner of our lives. You’re my brother, Ryan. And I won’t lose you.”

The door burst open again.

One of my men was panting, wild-eyed. “Sir—she’s awake. Mrs. Blackwood’s awake!”

Every muscle in my body responded.

I ran.

I sprinted past the corridors, threw the door open, and there she was—sitting up slightly, still pale, but her eyes… her beautiful eyes were open and dazed and searching.

“Avery,” I choked, rushing to her side.

She turned just in time for me to wrap her in my arms.

“I thought I lost you,” I whispered into her hair. “I thought I’d lost everything.”

Her fingers gripped my shirt, weak but needing me.

“I’m here,” she breathed. “I’m not leaving you.”

I pulled back just enough to look at her. She looked tired, but stronger than any woman I had ever known. The kind of strong that didn’t come from muscle or rage—but from love, endurance… fire.

“You saved me,” I said.

She shook her head. “We saved each other.”

And as I leaned forward, resting my forehead against hers, I made a vow in my heart.

No matter how dark the war gets—

She would always be the light I come home to.

And I’d burn the world twice over before I let anyone dim her flame again.