Chapter 28
Vivian stared at Rex, her mind going blank.
Everything she thought she knew exploded right in front of her, leaving her dizzy.
She knew Rex was a military general.
So she was stunned when he dropped on his knees in front of Raven.
It turns out that, this random girl from Bastion wasn’t just the Valhalla master but a general too.
Vivian didn’t get it–How did a 19–year–old become a general?
She couldn’t come up with a second one in her life who had pulled off something this wild.
Eddie stood there, just as stunned, his eyes empty.
Learning Raven was the Valhalla master had already knocked him sideways.
Now Rex kneeling made it clear her rank might even top his.
All his efforts to protect Raven made him feel like a clown now.
“Shouldn’t have come,” he mocked himself bitterly.
Next to Raven, he–the future head of Regalhold’s Valor family–felt like a complete nobody.
Thinking back to how he’d begged Raven to run, not once but twice, he wanted to dig a hole and hide.
Someone like her against the Grayson family was like an elephant crushing ants–she’d flatten them without even trying.
And he’d told her to run… Now that just looked dummy.
Rex, caught up in his own storm of feelings, didn’t have time to worry about what anyone else thought.
He looked up at Raven, his eyes full of a desperate, silent beg.
“Please,” he said, his voice breaking, “they’re all the family I’ve got left. Let them go!”
Raven just stared down at him, her face blank, not showing a thing.
“I told you,” she said calmly, “I let Dane off yesterday because you’re a big deal in the military. He didn’t take the hint. That’s not my fault.”
Then she turned to Thorian and Brynjar next to her.
“Do it,” she said.
Rex’s heart slammed in his chest, nearly stopping.
He snapped his head back to Raven, panic pouring out.
He hollered, “Even if you outrank me, killing them in public goes against Vyrdenia law!”
Raven’s lips curled into a tiny smile.
But her eyes? They got colder, harder.
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Chapter 28
“Law?” she fired back, her voice icy. “Did Dane care about Vyrdenia law when he tried to bleed my brother dry?”
“Did Jax think about it when he showed up with two hundred guys to take me out?” Her tone turned even chillier.
“If I were just some random person, I’d be dead by now,” she sneered, “And you, hiding in the background, wouldn’t even step up.”
“Now they’ve lost, and you’re throwing law in my face?” A little sarcasm slipped into her words.
“Is the law just your plaything? Use it when it works for you, ditch it when it doesn’t?” She didn’t pull any punches.
Rex felt her words hit hard, his throat clamping shut.
But then he took a breath, straightening up.
“They’re them, and you’re you,” he said, all serious. “They’re just regular Vyrdenia people. You’re a military higher–up–everything you do carries Vyrdenia’s weight. You want to hurt them today? Over my dead body!”
He knew that big talk could get him slapped with a charge for disrespecting a superior.
But with his only son and brother on the line, that was small potatoes.
Raven stared right into his eyes, her gaze getting frostier by the second.
Finally, her voice sliced through, cold enough to stop Rex dead.
“And if I say they’re dying anyway?” she asked.
Rex took a slow breath, his eyes steady.
“Then I’ll have to take this to General Lorne Drakon,” he said heavily. “Let him deal with it.”
Rex knew Raven was this close to landing a full–on general position.
If she wanted that promotion, she couldn’t mess up even once right now.
Killing Jax and Dane would tie right back to Vyrdenia law–if it got out, it’d be a total disaster for her image.
He bet Raven wouldn’t gamble on dragging Lorne into this!
As for why he’d name–drop Lorne instead of the other two generals…
Well, for one, Lorne was the head honcho, the biggest name of the trio.
And two–this was the real clincher–Raven had just boasted that even Lorne wouldn’t dare force her to back down.
If he “accidentally” let that slip to Lorne, her shot at general would be dead in the water, at least for now.
Feeling a little smug about that, Rex perked up.
He stood straighter, his slightly weathered but still keen eyes locked on Raven.
He was waiting–waiting for her to back off from Killing Jax and Dane.
Waiting for her to say that jab about Lorne was just a fluke.
But as he watched her, a mix of hope and a touch of petty satisfaction in his stare, Raven’s eyes suddenly sparked with amusement.
“Let Lorne handle it?” she said quietly.
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Chapter 28
Then she turned her head toward a nearby tree, calm as anything.
She smiled, politely, “General Drakon, done enjoying the drama? Ready to show yourself?”
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