Chapter 20: The Ghost's Name
Bryant didn't knock.
Didn't call.
He stormed into her chamber like a man chasing war.
Nyra stood by the window, the letter pressed between her fingers. She didn't hide it.
She didn't need to.
His eyes found the name at the bottom immediately.
Lucien Kings.
Time stopped.
His gaze darkened—not with confusion.
But recognition.
And rage.
"You found this?" he said, voice hollow.
"It was left for me."
"You read it?"
"Yes."
He crossed the room in three strides and ripped the scroll from her hands.
"Don't—!"
He didn't listen.
He threw it into the fire.
Her mother's handwriting. Her bloodline. Her questions.
All burned.
"You had no right—"
"I had every right," he growled. "I've kept you alive."
"I'm not yours to keep."
He grabbed her wrist. "That name—Lucien—he's not just a man. He's a threat."
"To you?" she challenged.
"To everything."
He released her.
Stepped back like her skin burned him.
"He doesn't want you, Nyra," Bryant said. "He wants the crown that comes with you."
Nyra went still.
"So it's true."
"What is?"
"I'm worth something."
He said nothing.
And that silence confirmed everything.
"Why do you hate him?" she asked.
Bryant's eyes flickered — from her lips to her scar to the spot where the scroll used to lie.
"Because he gets everything by asking," he said slowly. "And I've had to take everything by force."
A heartbeat passed.
Then another.
Then she stepped toward him.
No fear.
Just fire.
"You didn't have to take me," she said.
His breath stilled.
"You let me."
She reached for him, lips barely an inch from his—
And whispered:
"But if you ever burn something of mine again…"
She dragged her fingers down the collar of his shirt.
"…I'll make sure no one finds your body."
He exhaled.
Shaky. Broken.
And then?
He kissed her.
But not like before.
This wasn't punishment.
This was possession.
Hands around her waist.
Her back against the wall.
His mouth hungry like he needed to devour the threat inside her before Lucien ever could.
And she let him.
Until the fire behind her began to fade—
And he whispered against her skin:
"You're not going to him."
"He's not taking you."
"I'll kill him first."
[End of Chapter 20] 📍