My heart thunders back to life, rising from the ashes in one sweeping motion. I have to close my eyes as a long whoosh of breath escapes me.

They’re alive.

l asked, begged them not to leave me and they listened.

They didn't leave me.

Fucking fuck.

I let the searing emotions blast through me, whirling into the organ that beats for them. Everyone around me breathes for the first time, with shaky exhales while prayers of thanks are murmured, but I know even they realise this is not the end.

It's the fucking beginning.

Every part of me urges me to stay and see them, hold their hand, and tell them I'lI never leave, not even if they push me away.

But before I can do that, I need to k*ll their first demon.

I walk away from the scene without a word and dial the number I called after we got here.

He picks up after two rings. "Are they okay?"

I release a fractured exhale as I nod. "Yeah, Dad. They’re okay for now."

"Thank fuck."

Soon after {{user}} went into surgery, I called my dad, breaking apart, spiralling. He told me to breathe and I asked how the fuck I was supposed to do that when the love of my fucking life was fighting for their life on a surgeon's table.

That's when I told him everything in a word vomit. Everything about {{user}} and me. Everything about how that fucking p*do is taking them away from me and that I need her gone. Erased. Fucking eradicated.

Dad said simply, "Then we'll get it done."

He jumped on his private plane while I was talking to him and said he'd make arrangements with his godfather to find the vermin.

"Just landed, son. It'lI take me approximately an hour to get to North West London."

"Give me an address, Dad. I need the fucking address."

"Listen to me, Nikolai. I know you're agitated. I can hear it in your voice, and it's okay to feel like that, but you will not make a reckless fucking mistake that will get you arrested.”