Chapter 30. The Weight of Failure

The silence in the car was deafening as I drove, my mind reeling from the events that had just unfolded. Every few seconds, my eyes flicked to the rearview mirror where Knox lay in the backseat, unconscious and looking more battered than I'd ever seen him. Havoc apparently wasn't willing to surface to heal his human. Not that I blamed him.

Although deep down I knew it was because the magic Astaroth had woven was potent, leaving Knox in a state where even Havoc seemed to have retreated into the shadows. I understood too well—Astaroth's presence was a chilling reminder of my own pain, the memories of agony that still echoed in my bones from when I, too, had been at the mercy of his cruel urges.

As the ride stretched on, and the silence grew, the weight of my failures pressed heavily on my chest. I hated that I had frozen at the sight of Havoc in full wrath. I hated that fear had crippled me, preventing me from protecting Lottie—the one person who had come t