Chapter 173

• Alaric’s POV
• The coppery tang of blood filled the air, sharp and unrelenting. My head rested against the steering wheel, every breath labored, each second dragging me closer to unconsciousness. The dashboard lights blurred in and out of focus, but the only thing I could see was Emilia’s face—terrified, pleading—as they dragged her away. The way she screamed for me and tried to fight back, yet I couldn’t help her. I couldn’t fight for her. My barely beating heart shattered into a thousand and one pieces, molded itself back only to shatter again. And the cycle kept repeating itself.
• I barely heard the sound of pounding footsteps over the roaring in my ears. Then the driver’s side door wrenched open, and a voice cut through the haze.