Gunnar’s POV
The mont I stepped forward, I stopped thinking about anything else and focused only on him, because I knew there was no other way this was going to end.
Emberkin didn’t move at first. He stood there watching , like he was waiting for to make the first move, like he already knew how this was going to go. That calm look on his face made my blood heat up, because it ant he wasn’t taking this seriously yet.
I didn’t give him ti to stay comfortable.
I moved fast and threw a punch straight at his face with everything I had. He raised his arm and blocked it, but I followed imdiately with another hit to his ribs and then another to his jaw, keeping the pressure on him so he wouldn’t get the chance to settle into the fight.
He stepped back once, then again, adjusting quickly, his eyes locked on like he was studying every move I made.
"You’re rushing," he said, like he was pointing sothing out instead of fighting for his life.
I didn’t answer him.
I grabbed his collar and slamd him hard into the nearest pillar. The stone behind him cracked on impact, and before he could react, I drove my fist into his face again.
The hit connected properly this ti.
Blood ca out of his mouth, but he didn’t lose his balance. Instead, he turned his head slightly, then looked back at and smiled.
That alone made hit him again.
He pushed off suddenly with a force that made slide back a few steps, but I didn’t fall. I steadied myself and rushed him again without slowing down.
This ti he ca forward too.
We collided in the middle of the hall, both of us hitting at the sa ti. His fist landed on my side, hard enough to make feel it deep, but I ignored it and drove my knee into his stomach, forcing him to bend slightly before I grabbed his arm and twisted it.
I used that mont to throw him to the ground.
He hit the floor hard, the sound echoing across the hall, but he didn’t stay down. He rolled away imdiately and got back up before I could pin him.
We went at each other again without stopping.
This ti the fight got heavier.
Every hit had more force behind it.
Every movent was faster.
He tried to hit my head again, but I blocked it and returned the hit straight to his face, then followed it with another punch to his chest that pushed him back.
Blood was already visible on both of us now.
But neither of us slowed down.
He lifted his hand slightly again, and I knew what was coming.
That sa invisible force.
It hit hard, but this ti I didn’t let it push back. I forced myself forward through it, pushing against it with everything I had until I broke through it completely.
That caught him off guard.
I saw it in his face.
And I used that mont.
I grabbed him by the throat and slamd him down again, harder this ti, then started hitting him repeatedly, not giving him any space to recover.
Each punch landed fully.
Blood spread across his face and onto the floor beneath us.
He caught my arm mid-swing and twisted it sharply, forcing off him, then flipped our positions and pinned down for a second.
I forced my way out and rolled away before he could hold there.
We both stood again.
Breathing heavier now.
Watching each other more carefully.
"You’ve improved," he said.
"So have you," I replied.
Then we moved again.
This ti we didn’t hold back anything.
We crashed into each other, breaking through whatever was in our way as we moved across the hall. Tables broke, chairs shattered, and parts of the walls cracked from the force of the fight.
He tried to create distance again, but I stayed close to him, not giving him the space he needed.
I hit him across the face again, then again, pushing him back step by step. He blocked so of it, but not everything.
I grabbed him and slamd him into the wall, then drove my fist into his face again before pulling him down and throwing him to the ground.
This ti I didn’t let him get up imdiately.
I pinned him and hit him again.
And again.
And again.
For a mont, I had control.
For a mont, he wasn’t pushing back.
That was enough.
I pushed off him and turned imdiately toward Riley.
She was still standing where she had been. Still not reacting.
That confird everything that she’s been hypnotized.
I moved to her quickly and grabbed her shoulders firmly.
"Riley," I said, shaking her. "Look at ."
Her eyes moved slightly, but she didn’t fully respond.
"Riley," I said again, louder this ti. "Snap out of it."
I shook her harder.
"Co on, fight it," I said. "You’re stronger than this."
For a second, sothing changed.
Her expression shifted slightly.
That told she was still there.
I held onto that.
"Riley, listen to ," I said. "You need to wake up. This isn’t you."
I shook her again, trying to pull her back fully.
That was when it happened.
Sothing sharp drove into my back.
Hard.
Sharp.
Deep.
My body froze for a second as the pain hit.
I looked down slowly and saw the blade coming through my chest.
My breathing tightened imdiately as I grabbed it with my hand, trying to stay upright.
Then I turned.
Anna was standing behind . Her hand holding the weapon.
My eyes locked onto hers."Anna..." I said.
But sothing was wrong. Her expression didn’t match what she had just done.
It didn’t feel right. Until I saw it.
Her face started to change. Right in front of .
The skin didn’t stay the sa.
It shifted and tore away in a way that made it clear it wasn’t real.
And underneath-
It wasn’t fucking Anna.
It was Ethan.
My grip tightened on the blade as everything clicked into place.
I had just let him get close enough to stab .
How the hell did Ethan learn to wear soone else’s form?
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