Page 245 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
Not him.
Not now.
‘My name is Dawn,’ she shot back, the words sharp as broken glass.
Silence fell between them.
Heavy.
Taut.
They watched one another, unmoving, two forces poised on the edge of something inevitable. But beneath Dawn’s stillness, a storm raged.
She could do it.
Here. Now.
No witnesses. No consequences she couldn’t twist into something believable.
She could end him.
Her fingers twitched, magic whispering at her command. And she wondered if Ash could see it. If he could feel the intent coiling inside her.
Judging by the faint curl of his lip, by the way he stood as though braced for impact…He could.
And perhaps he was waiting for it.
Dawn lifted her hand, power already gathering at her fingertips—green smoke coiling like something alive, eager to be unleashed.
To end it. To silence the ache that had hollowed her out for years. To watch those cursed golden eyes dim at last.
A presence stirred behind Ash.
Kai.
He appeared in the threshold of the castle, his gaze flicking between them, sharp and assessing. He understood at once, of course he did. The tension, the quiet violence hanging in the air, the fragile line Dawn stood upon.
This was no ordinary moment.
This was a breaking point.
And yet… he did not retreat. Instead, he stepped forward.
Slowly. Deliberately.
He met her eyes, and in that look was everything. A warning, entwined with understanding, but also consequence. A silent plea wrapped in steel.
Then he came to her side.
‘We ought to go inside now, Dawn,’ he said, his voice low, steady and gentle, but unyielding.
He lifted his hand between them.
An offering. A choice.
Dawn stared at it. At those long, pale fingers extended towards her, and something inside her faltered.
Because she knew.
