Chapter 136

• "Enough."
• Aysel snapped the word like a command to the universe, her growl low and resonant, vibrating with the restrained fury of the beast prowling inside her. The air itself seemed to flinch. "Do you think that not being the first-or the worst-erases your crimes?" Her voice darkened, thick with contempt. "You speak as though the currents of fate forced your claws to strike. As if you were some tragic puppet of darkness. But all of it-every word-is an excuse to bury your own malice."
• Anna faltered. Just a beat. Then she laughed, a thin, brittle sound, one that trembled on the brink of hysteria-as if she were daring Aysel to close the distance and tear her apart. But Aysel's eyes, burning with a raw, molten wildness, did not waver.