Chapter 416

The entire group froze in unison, their gazes locked onto the sky above.

If angels truly walked among mortals, this woman was their living embodiment. If goddesses descended to earth, she was their chosen vessel.

In the stunned silence, Evelyn's eyes narrowed. With practiced precision, she loaded her weapon and fired three consecutive shots at Ward.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Missed.

She adjusted her stance and fired again.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Rage burned through Evelyn’s veins, her focus unshakable as she emptied her clip toward Ward.

The Desert Eagle’s recoil was brutal, but Evelyn handled it like a seasoned marksman—her training evident in every controlled movement.

Yet, despite her skill, not a single bullet found its mark.

Ward moved like a shadow, darting through the jungle with unnatural speed.

"Elijah!" Evelyn shouted, frustration lacing her voice. "Can’t you get any lower? He’s still out of range!"

"I’m already skimming the treetops!" Elijah’s knuckles whitened around the controls, sweat beading on his brow. The relentless gunfire had his heart hammering against his ribs. "Evelyn, what the hell were you thinking? Get back here!"

"No!" Her eyes blazed with fury. "I want him to know what happens when he touches what’s mine!"

Another shot rang out, grazing one of Ward’s men.

Thaddeus tracked her every move, his body coiled tight with tension. Admiration warred with terror—he was too far to shield her, and the thought clawed at him.

"Damn it!" Elijah’s voice cracked. "I never should’ve let you come! This is the worst idea you’ve ever had!"

Desperate, he banked hard, ready to drag her back by force if necessary.

But Evelyn was faster.

She released the ladder and leaped.

"Evelyn!" Elijah’s heart stopped.

The wind roared in her ears as she plummeted. In that freefall, her mind cleared. All that mattered was reaching Thaddeus—standing beside him, fighting with him, even dying with him if it came to that.

Just as he had once shielded her in Zenithia’s war-torn streets, carving a path through blood and chaos.

Now, she would do the same for him.

Her breath hitched.

The truth struck her like lightning.

Thaddeus owed her nothing.

Thirteen years ago, he had saved her life. On Zenithia’s battlefield, he had given her a chance to survive.

Even if she had dragged him to safety afterward, without him, she would’ve been dead before dawn.

Their failed marriage paled in the face of life and death.

What mattered more than survival?

Without Thaddeus, there was no more.

Her body hurtled toward the earth—

"Evelyn!" Thaddeus’s heart lurched.

Pain forgotten, he sprinted forward, arms outstretched.

The impact wrenched his wounded shoulder open again, blood soaking through his shirt. But he barely registered it, relief flooding him as he caught her. A faint smile touched his lips.

She was his solace, his strength.

Holding her, he could endure anything.

Evelyn inhaled sharply, the metallic tang of blood thick in the air. His labored breaths shuddered against her, and tears spilled onto his chest.

"Liar," she choked out, pounding her fists against him. "You idiot! You could’ve died!"

Thaddeus cradled her like something precious, his thumb brushing her nape. "I was afraid you’d follow me."

Her voice broke. "And you weren’t afraid I’d worry?"

The question stunned him. A lifetime of believing himself unworthy of such care unraveled in an instant.

But there was no time for revelations.

In the next breath, Thaddeus shoved her behind him, snatched up a fallen machine gun, and mowed down the assassins ahead.

Evelyn didn’t hesitate. Back-to-back, she fired at the ones behind them.

A memory flickered in Thaddeus’s mind—Paloma.

The girl in the white coat from Zenithia.

He’d never seen her again.

Yet now, watching Evelyn fight, the resemblance was uncanny.

"Ward’s getting away!" Evelyn bolted after him.

"Evelyn, stop! It’s a trap—"

Thaddeus swayed, vision blurring. The chill of blood loss crept through his limbs, but he forced himself forward, leaving a crimson trail in his wake.

Star Island’s jungle was a labyrinth.

Brambles tore at Evelyn’s skin, but she barely noticed. Her focus was singular—catch Ward.

Then her foot snagged something hidden.

Her instincts screamed.

She twisted away just as a steel cage erupted from the ground, snapping shut where she’d stood.

Cold sweat slicked her brow. One second slower, and she’d have been trapped.

A chuckle slithered from the shadows.

"Show yourself, Ward!"

Her ears, honed from years of training, pinpointed his location. She raised her gun—

And froze.

Empty.

Panic spiked. Her spare ammo was gone, likely lost when she dodged the trap. She spotted it a few paces away—

Two bullets kicked up dirt at her feet. A warning.

Ward stepped into view, crossbow leveled at her chest. "Impressive, Ms. Ashbourne. You’re the first to escape my traps." His smirk widened. "No wonder Thaddeus fell for you."

"Enough." Her voice was ice. "Surrender and testify against Elspeth, or tonight is your end."

Ward laughed. "You rich brats really think you’re untouchable?"

"Touch me," she hissed, "and my brothers will burn Star Island to the ground. Your head will rot on a pike. Try me."

The threat gave him pause.

Unlike Thaddeus, this woman wasn’t bluffing. The Ashbourne brothers were notorious, and their father commanded even royalty’s respect.

Seizing his hesitation, Evelyn lunged for her ammo.

Ward fired.

Time slowed.

Evelyn braced for impact—

Then Thaddeus was there, taking the arrow meant for her.

Her world shattered.

He crumpled against her, his face ashen but his gaze tender. "Evelyn... you okay?"

Tears blurred her vision.

"I’m fine," he murmured, hand stroking her back. "I’m..."

His eyes rolled back.

"Thaddeus? Thaddeus!" She clutched him, screaming his name, but he didn’t stir.

"Evelyn! Thaddeus!"

Elijah’s voice cut through the chaos.

Cassius, Jareth, and the others arrived in a storm of gunfire. Two shots from Cassius shattered Ward’s kneecap and arm.

Ward still crawled toward his weapon.

Elijah stomped on his hand, bones crunching under his boot.

A scream ripped through the night.

The remaining assassins were subdued, their hideout raided. Weapons of mass destruction were uncovered, but there was no time to linger—Thaddeus needed a hospital now.

As they loaded him onto the helicopter, Evelyn clung to his hand, her tears falling unchecked.

"Why?" she sobbed. "Why couldn’t I see your worth sooner?"

Cassius pulled her into his arms. "He’ll make it," he whispered, though his own voice wavered. "God protects those who love fiercely."

Jareth, usually quick with a joke, stood silent, fists clenched.

The helicopter blades whirred to life, carrying Thaddeus toward the capital’s best surgeons.

Evelyn pressed her palms to her eyes, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

Cassius held her tighter. "He’ll live," he vowed, as if saying it could make it true. "For you. For both of you."

And in that moment, he would’ve traded his own life to ensure it.