He assumed a poker face as he looked me over and began circling me slowly. It was impossible to know what was going on in that mind of his.

The silence that followed as he continued to survey me was excruciating. I’d rather he just launched straight into an attack. Yet I couldn’t deny that, as much as I had reason to despise this man, a part of me still saw within him the boy I used to know. My best friend. Classmate. Fellow shell-collector down by the river where we used to play back in The Sanctuary.

Now he was a dark shadow of his former self. I was shocked at how different his face looked in just the short time I’d been away from him. The black circles beneath his eyes had deepened, and he looked like he’d aged ten years.

The finger that held Kiev’s engagement ring twitched involuntarily. I still remembered the night Rhys had proposed to me, and I’d accepted… only to stab him in the back the very next day. I’d felt a crushing guilt about it at the time, even though I’d known that marrying him would be like marrying death. Truth be told, I still felt a twinge of guilt when I recalled the way I’d played on his emotions and then betrayed him in the worst possible way. The joy in his eyes that night I’d accepted his proposal… I’d never seen him happier in his life. And then the next morning once he’d found out about my deceit, I’d never seen him look so crushed.

I drew a deep breath as I tried to steel myself against my emotions. If I had any hope of surviving this, I knew I had to.

Rhys chose the path he’s on. Nobody forced him to join the black witches. And nobody forced him to treat me the way he used to…

I couldn’t afford to feel sorry for him. Not now.

I assumed the same stony expression as Rhys.

“This lifestyle isn’t doing anything for your looks, you know,” I said steadily.

He remained silent in the face of my insult, his eyes still boring into mine.

“Why don’t you give it up? You’d be much happier for it. Perhaps you’d even find yourself a girl.”

His jaw twitched.

I knew I was treading on eggshells. If I kept this up, it wouldn’t be long before he snapped.

But I didn’t care.

“You’re not happy, are you? I don’t remember that you ever were. Lilith isn’t the most pleasant of people to work for, is she—”

Before I could react, Rhys shot his palms upward and I found myself catapulting through the air. My back hit against the trunk of a nearby tree, and I slumped to the ground, panting.

“Whore,” he hissed, flying toward me and gripping my neck with speed I hadn’t known even he possessed. “You dare even utter her name after you betrayed her?”

I jolted him backward with a curse. I sat up and rubbed my neck, panting.

I thought he was about to launch at me again, but he froze, his gaze fixed on my right hand. I wasn’t sure what he was looking at until I looked down at it myself. He was staring at my sapphire engagement ring.

Rhys took a step closer, his focus still on the ring. “You’re… you’re his now?”

“I will be soon,” I rasped, glaring up at him. I shot to my feet, anger coursing through me at his insult. “And before you call me a whore, I suggest taking a look in the mirror. Look at the lengths you’re willing to go to, the things you’re willing to sacrifice. All you’ve done your entire life is whore out your mind, body and soul for the sake of your so-called cause. A cause that’s built upon nothing but groundless pride and your insatiable greed for power.” I spat at his feet. “You deserve no respect.”

It was clear that our conversation was over. His eyes lit up with anger and a fiery curse shot from his palms toward me. I manifested a forcefield in time to avert it.

His arms began to shake as he hailed curse after curse upon me. Sweat formed on my brow as I focused on maintaining my shield. I just hoped Kiev would be preoccupied somewhere else and not notice. If he attempted to help me, I had no doubt in my mind that Rhys would kill him.

I had to end Rhys once and for all. And fast.

A wave of déjà vu rushed over me as I attempted to hurl curses back at him even as I fended off his onslaught. I’d managed to survive the last encounter I’d had with him and fight him off. Now should be no different. And yet I couldn’t stop a fear creeping into my bones that everything about this time felt different. His attack felt far more forceful than before. Rhys had grown stronger in the time we’d been apart, while I’d remained the same. When I did gather the courage to focus my concentration away from the shield, my attempts seemed feeble and slow compared to his. And from the flicker in his eyes, Rhys thought so too.

It was frightening how much more powerful he’d become since our last encounter. I could only imagine how many more innocent lives had been lost in his pursuance of domination.

I was no longer any match for him.

I ducked behind a rock, panting for breath. Then, casting my eyes upward, I leapt up into the tree above me. Perhaps a height advantage would make this easier.

No chance.

He leapt up after me and began chasing me up the tree. I kicked and squirmed as his hand closed around my ankle and he pulled me roughly down to his level. Gripping my wrists and keeping my palms firmly pointing downward toward the ground, he backed me up against the trunk.

I struggled against his grip, but as I did, his palms heated up and began burning into me.

“Stop fighting me,” he whispered, his face inches from my own.