The Border Bridge

A convoy of trucks blocked the far end of the bridge.

Men stepped out. They weren't Citadel guards. They wore the rusted armor of the Wastes.

And in the center, leaning on a cane, was Master Varon.

He looked older, scarred from the raid on his compound, but his eyes were the same cold, dead gray.

"Well, well," Varon sneered. "The little bird tries to fly."

Nia skidded to a halt. She turned back.

Kade was there.

He walked out of the shadows of the Citadel entrance. He wasn't running. He wasn't out of breath. He was strolling, flanked by his elite enforcers. He wore a tuxedo, his hands in his pockets.

Nia looked between them. The Master in front. The Monster behind.

"You set this up," Nia whispered, realization crashing over her like ice water.

Kade stopped ten yards away. He looked at Varon, ignoring Nia completely.

"Varon," Kade called out. "You're late."

"You have my property, Kade," Varon shouted, gesturing to Nia. "You stole her from my train. That is an act of war."

"I recovered stolen goods," Kade replied calmly. "But I am a reasonable man. I brought her here to negotiate."

Nia stumbled back to the railing. Below, the black water churned, freezing and deadly.

"You brought me here as bait," she screamed at Kade. "You let me run! You opened the terrace door!"

Kade finally looked at her. His face was a mask of cold satisfaction. "I needed him out of his bunker, Nia. He wouldn't come for money. He came for pride. He came for you."

Varon lunged, grabbing Nia by the arm. He pressed a serrated knife to her throat.

"Give me the northern trade routes," Varon demanded, "or I open her up right here."

Nia felt the blade bite her skin. She looked at Kade. She waited for the fear. She waited for him to beg.

Kade smiled.

"Do it," Kade said.

Varon blinked. "What?"

"Kill her," Kade said, taking a step forward. "And you lose your only leverage. Then I peel the skin from your bones slowly. Or... you let her go, and I give you a quick death."

Varon hesitated. His hand trembled.

That split second was all Kade needed.

He shifted.

The tuxedo shredded as the midnight-black wolf erupted. Kade covered the distance in two bounds.

He didn't go for Varon’s throat. He went for the arm holding the knife.

*CRUNCH.*

Varon screamed as his forearm was severed. The knife fell into the river.

Nia was knocked backward by the impact, slamming into the railing.

The bridge erupted into chaos. Kade’s enforcers opened fire on Varon’s men. But the center stage belonged to the wolf.

Kade tore Varon apart. It wasn't a fight; it was a butchery. He ripped, tore, and shredded until the Master was nothing but red snow.

The wolf stood over the corpse, panting, its muzzle dripping blood.

It turned to Nia.

It snarled, then shuddered. Kade shifted back.

He stood naked in the freezing wind, covered in gore, steam rising from his skin. He didn't look human. He looked like a god of war carved from raw meat.

He walked toward Nia.

Nia pressed her back against the railing. There was nowhere to go. Just the drop.

Kade stopped inches from her. He placed a bloody hand on the railing on either side of her head, boxing her in.

"You can run," Kade whispered. He nodded toward the open end of the bridge, past the dead bodies of the slavers. "The Wastes are right there, Nia. Go. Be free."

Nia looked at the dark horizon. The wind howled. It was negative thirty degrees. She had no coat. No shoes. No food.

"You won't survive the night," Kade continued, his voice dropping to a seductive, terrifying purr. "The cold will take you. Or the wolves. Or the hunger."

He leaned in, smearing blood on her cheek as he brushed his nose against hers.

"I am the only monster that loves you, Nia. I am the only one who feeds you. Who keeps you warm."

He pulled back, extending a hand.

"Choose."

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