When Kings Fall (The O’Sullivan’s Brides #3)

CHAPTER EIGHTEENNiamh

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Niamh

I SEE IT, clear as day—the flash of an image on Diarmuid’s phone. It’s gone in an instant, but the imprint it leaves in my mind is vivid. The Asiatic lion enclosure. The same rocks, the golden backdrop, the one place I’ve always felt safe. I don’t need to study it. I’ve memorized it over the years. The shape of the boulders, the way the light hits the lion’s mane just before sunset. That spot is etched into me like a scar.

It’s where Ella and I could breathe, where the air felt lighter. We weren’t ballerinas there, bound by the rigid expectations of our parents. We were just two girls, laughing, free. I haven’t thought about it in years, but seeing it now brings it all back.

Selene is there.

The realization slams into me like a punch to the chest. My body tenses, my muscles coil, and for a moment, I’m frozen. But Diarmuid isn’t. He’s already moving, barking orders, his voice sharp and dangerous, cutting through the air like a blade. His entire posture has changed—he’s no longer the man I’ve known, the one who can smile, who can tease. Now he’s something else, something feral, driven. It’s as if she’s unlocked something in him, and I can’t decide whether to be terrified or envious.

I step back, out of his way, because I know. I’ve been here before. The moment he locks onto his target, the rest of the world ceases to exist for him. I’m just... nothing. A shadow at the edge of his vision. He’s forgotten me in an instant, left me behind without a second thought, just like everyone else has.

A familiar bitterness crawls up my throat, but I choke it down. This isn’t about that. It can’t be about me. Not now.

I watch as Diarmuid becomes something unrecognizable, like a hound catching the scent of blood. He’s going after her, and he’s not letting anything stand in his way. Not even me. Just like magic he’s gone and the room starts to empty out.

But I can’t— I won’t —stand here and watch him go. My feet itch to move, my body thrumming with the need to do something . Anything.

I’ve spent my whole life protecting Ella from this kind of darkness, from people like Diarmuid, from the sharp, cutting edges of a world she couldn’t handle. But this time, it’s not her I’m thinking about. It’s not her innocent smile or her laugh echoing in my ears.

It’s her. out there, alone, in danger—and me, stuck here, useless, doing nothing. I can’t—I won’t —let this happen.

Not this time.

Before I can stop myself, my body moves on instinct, driven by something I don’t fully understand. It feels like choreography, but this isn’t a dance. This is real. The floor is cold beneath my feet as I glide across it, my muscles moving in perfect sync, like I’ve rehearsed this a thousand times. My breath quickens, the air sharp in my lungs, my heart hammering against my ribs.

I make it halfway across the room before one of Diarmuid’s men steps into my path.

“Stop.”

The word hits me like a wall, but I don’t slow down. He thinks he can stop me? As if I’m some fragile, breakable thing, easily controlled? My lips curl into a smile—sharp, cold. I can feel something dark and hard rising inside me, something that makes me feel invincible.

“I said, move,” I snap, my voice a sharp whip crack in the air.

He doesn’t. Of course, he doesn’t.

I don’t stop to think. I run.

I dart through the hallways, faster than I ever have before, my body a blur as I twist and turn, slipping through doors, dodging their attempts to catch me. They think they know me—think I’m predictable, weak. But they don’t know this part of me. The part that’s spent years suppressing anger, fear, and desperation.

I’m almost at the front door when another guard blocks my exit. His face is impassive, eyes hard, like he’s already decided I’m not leaving. He’s wrong.

I pivot sharply, my bare feet skidding on the polished floor, and I veer off to the side, slipping through a narrow door I hadn’t even noticed before. It leads into a massive dining room, all heavy mahogany and gleaming silver, the kind of room that belongs in an old estate. The table is set for a meal that no one will ever eat. The whole place feels abandoned, frozen in time.

And now, I’m trapped.

I can hear them getting closer. My pulse races, panic bubbling up in my throat. I glance around the room, desperate, until my eyes land on the polished silverware laid neatly on the table. Without thinking, I lunge forward and grab the first thing I can reach—a knife.

It’s small, delicate, meant for cutting into soft meats or fruits, but when I hold it in my trembling hands, it feels like a lifeline. I press my back against the wall, the knife held up against my throat, the cool metal biting into my skin. My heart is pounding so loudly I can barely hear my own breath.

“Let me leave.” My voice is shaking, but I can’t let them hear the fear. I press the blade harder until I feel the sting of it breaking skin. Warmth drips down my neck, slow and steady.

They freeze. I see it in their eyes, the hesitation, the uncertainty. They don’t think I’ll do it. They don’t know me. I press harder, feeling the sharp sting as blood trickles faster now. I see it in their eyes—the fear I’ve been waiting for.

The keys are tossed at my feet, clattering against the floor. One of them even hands me a gun, his eyes never leaving the knife at my throat. I take it, the weight of it settling into my hand. I don’t know what to do with it, but the fact that they gave it to me tells me everything I need to know. I’ve won.

The drive to the zoo is a blur. The knife is gone from my throat now, but the sting is still there, a reminder of how close I was, of what I’m capable of. I can’t stop thinking, my mind a whirlwind of fractured memories.

Ella’s soft laugh. Diarmuid’s rough hand gripping mine, pulling me through the darkness. Selene’s face flashing on the screen, and the sickening realization that everything is spiraling out of control. I can feel it slipping through my fingers, and all I can do is keep moving, keep driving.

When I finally pull into the zoo’s parking lot, Diarmuid’s team is already there. They’re a mess of chaos, shouting at each other, drawing attention. Perfect. It’s exactly what I need. I don’t even slow down, don’t glance at them. I slip past the guards, my body moving like it knows this place better than my mind does. I’m invisible again, but this time it’s deliberate.

I don’t bother wiping the blood from my neck. Let them see. Let them wonder what I had to do to get here.

The air is colder now, the night creeping in. My breath forms clouds in front of my face, but the chill doesn’t reach me. There’s something burning inside me, something fierce and unstoppable, something I’ve never felt before. It’s not just anger, not just fear. It’s something more, something that makes me feel like I’m finally where I’m supposed to be.

I follow the familiar path along the zoo wall, the main gate slightly ajar, it must have been where all the security came from, and they are still distracted by Diarmuid’s men, it’s the perfect opportunity to slip through and enter the zoo unnoticed. My feet find their way as if I’ve walked this route a thousand times. And maybe I have. In my mind, in my memories, I’ve been here before. But this time, it’s different. This time, it’s real. The stakes are higher, the consequences sharper.

As I near the lion enclosure, that feeling grows stronger, surging through me like wildfire. I know, without a doubt, that whatever happens tonight, I’m going to make sure we all walk away. Diarmuid. Selene. Me. We’re going home.

No matter what it takes.