65. I Can't Do This

Reyna

I can’t hold it in. A scream tears through me, raw and gut-wrenching, slicing the tranquillity of the morning into jagged shards of reality. My voice rips through the air, a desperate cry for something—sanity, forgiveness, a rewind button to undo whatever horror I’ve just wrought.

Malachi and Rune burst onto the balcony, their faces twisted in confusion and growing horror as they take in the scene: my bloodied hands, Cassian’s limp body, and the ever-rising plumes of my purple flames surrounding me like malevolent spirits.

Rune’s eyes lock onto Cassian and, without a word, he dashes over to check his pulse, his hands trembling as they make contact with Cassian’s wounded flesh.

“Reyna, what happened, love?” Malachi’s voice is choked, tinged with worry and the bitter sting of impending dread.

I look at him, my eyes wild, and instinctively envelop my hands in swirling purple flames. “Stay back, Malachi,” I warn, my voice tinged with hysteria. “I don’t know if I’ll hurt you too!”

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