Gaze bleak, he said, “At first, I needed more time with him, time to defeat Erik. Now, I’ve come to like and admire Bane. He’s a fierce competitor, very strong, and he’s good for you. As good for you as you are for him. I...” He scoured a hand down his face. “You know I refuse to fight females, yes?”

“I do.”

His expression acquired a bitter cast. “I’ve won three All Wars, a feat few understand, since I’ve never killed a female. No one knows I dreamed of the ones who would fight and kill the females. I just had to put the killer in their paths.”

Light bulb moment. Or rather, new logs tossed on the fires of her rage moment. “That’s why you rescued me. So you could use me as a weapon against Bane.” Breathe, just breathe.

While she’d been busy falling in love with Bane, Zion had been busy overseeing his eventual murder.

The bastard offered another nod. “In my dreams, you pick up a dagger. The blade catches fire, and you stab the Adwaewethian in the chest. He falls, and he does not move.”

Her brow wrinkled. “Bane is impervious to fire.”

“On the outside, yes.”

Her hopes soared, then crashed. But what about his internal organs?

If not for Dark Nola, she would have brushed away Zion’s concerns. But she and her dark side were one now, and it was getting harder to resist the littlest temptations.

She shuddered. “Bane isn’t a man who lets someone come along and stab him all willy-nilly. He defends himself, always.” Violently.

Unless she ordered him to remain motionless. Then he couldn’t defend himself.

She’d entertained the thought before, but this time, she couldn’t dismiss it. Because deep down, Dark Nola, Original Nola, instinct agreed.

I will do it. I will command Bane to remain motionless and stab him with a fiery blade.

For the sake of my reign, I will kill.

Blood whooshed out of her head and roared in her ears. Could she really take a chance with Bane’s life?

Her shoulders rolled in. “I’ll leave and I’ll stay far away from him.” Bane wouldn’t willingly let her go. His promise echoed—I’m keeping you. He’d meant it...at the time. Once he found out about the knifing, he might change his mind.

Might? Ha! Although, he had reacted to her confession about Dark Nola in the sweetest, kindest way possible.

At the time, Dark Nola hadn’t been a life-or-death situation.

Everything had changed.

“I’ll take you to your sister and Knox,” Zion said. “You’ll be safest with them.”

“Yes. Okay.” Bad news: she would sicken again. Good news: the link with Bane would be blocked as soon as she did. He wouldn’t be able to look through her eyes, or talk to her. Or visit her. Or touch her.