Chapter 4

The way Blair was staring at me made me uneasy. I frowned and asked, "What do you really want?"

He took a deep breath and slowly said, "I came here to tell you to leave."

I let out a cold laugh. "Leave? Why should I?"

Blair hesitated. "Because if you don't, things will end badly. You'll die."

His words were strange, but something about them made me feel certain that he must have been reborn, too.

Was that why he had shown me mercy today?

Too bad I didn't need his pity.

Blair went on, "I know you hate Ms. Maisie. But staying alive matters more than getting revenge. Dusty was just a low-ranking beast servant. He's dead, and that's that. It's not worth losing your life over him."

I clenched my fists and cut him off. "Dusty wasn't some lowly servant! All of you owe me, and I will make sure you pay me back—every bit of it!"

With that, I turned around and slammed the door shut.

Blair stood outside for a long time without leaving.

I had nothing left to lose, so what was there to fear?

The only thing I had now was hatred.

Blair had barely left when Justin came storming in.

Looking at the man in front of me—whom I once regarded as a brother—all I felt now was pure hatred.

Smack!

Justin slapped me hard across the face. The sting burned instantly, and the taste of blood spread in my mouth.

"It was just a filthy animal that died!" he roared, staring at me like I was a corpse.

From up high, he looked down at me with pure disgust and rage.

"You really are just like your beastman father! You injured your sister over a beast servant. She's barely hanging on now, thanks to you!"

Seriously? It was just one slap.

When he helped Maisie strip my beast bone back then, that pain was a thousand times worse.

Justin dragged me out of the room and threw me into the hall, where the entire Roffe family waited to judge me.

"Claudia, you hurt your kin and attacked a beast servant. Your crimes are unforgivable! Do you admit your guilt?"

The Roffes' patriarch sat high above, his expression full of authority and cold, murderous intent.

I looked around. Everyone's faces were twisted with disgust and scorn. Not a single person stood up for me.

"You accuse me of hurting a beast servant, but what about Maisie killing Dusty?"

"Shut up!" Justin shot up and pointed at me, yelling furiously.

"How dare you make excuses! Maisie is kindhearted. Why would she hurt your beast servant for no reason? Clearly, you're jealous and trying to frame her!"

"Enough!" the patriarch barked, cutting off my chance to explain with a wave of his hand. "The facts are right in front of us. There's no need to deny your crimes.

"Guards! Tie her up and execute her in public!"

They bound me tightly and dragged me to the dueling platform, the same place where they'd executed my father. Now, they were going to kill me, too.

As I watched the executioner raise his massive, blood-stained blade, my heart sank into a pit of ice.

Death loomed over me, and I was powerless to stop it.

Was this really how my second chance at life was going to end?

"I'd like to see who dares touch her!" A deep voice boomed through the square like thunder.

My eyes flew open. The clear blue sky had suddenly turned dark and stormy.

A man in white slowly stepped forward, like a god descending from the heavens.

He was tall and elegant, his eyes deep and captivating, and he radiated an overwhelming power that silenced the world around him.