Chapter 34

• LYDIA
• I take a deep breath as I tighten the leather gloves around my hands. My reflection stares back at me in the mirror, serious and focused. My hair is pulled into a high ponytail, but some strands fall across my forehead, softening my expression just a little. I’m dressed entirely in black, just like in my dreams—the same dreams that won’t stop haunting me.
• Last night, I saw it again. The temple, the silver moon hanging heavy in the sky, and the battle that would decide everything. In that vision, Dex fell into Baron’s hands. Baron’s cruel laughter echoed as he lifted Dex into the air, preparing to kill him. My gaze met his for a moment before I looked down to see the dagger in my own hands. Without hesitation, I plunged it into my chest, and as I did, Baron fell too, both of us bleeding, both of us broken. Dex stood above us, victorious—but that victory came at a cost neither of us could bear.