Chapter 47

• Three hours later, I stood before the cell, a dagger clutched in my hand, its cold weight grounding me. Inside, Ivo was shackled, wrists and ankles bound by thick, unyielding cuffs bolted into the wall. The elegant jacket he’d worn in the woods was nowhere to be seen replaced by a torn black shirt clinging to his chest like a dying breath of dignity.
• Fosco entered the cell beside me, a short laugh escaping him as he strapped a gag securely around Ivo’s mouth. “I don’t want his teeth anywhere near you,” he said, and I silently thanked him for the precaution.
• The dagger in my grip was forged from silver and steel. My fingers curled tighter around its leather-wrapped hilt as I worked to steady my breathing. Even as I averted my gaze, I could feel Ivo watching me smirking, no doubt. He probably expected me to falter, to flinch and flee before I dared to strike. He wasn’t entirely wrong. My stomach churned every other minute with nausea as I faced the man who had nearly taken my life. But this moment wasn’t just about me. He didn’t value human life. So why should I value his?