She was protecting me.

Harmony stood, facing the brothers, her arms out at her sides as if to keep them from reaching where I lay. “Do not touch him!” she threatened. I swallowed at the sudden emotion welling up in my heart, the affection constricting my chest.

I got to my feet and put my hand on Harmony’s shoulder. She jumped, and I saw how frayed her nerves were. She looked back to me and her naturally ice-blue eyes locked on mine. Moving my finger to her cheek, I said, “It’s okay.”

Harmony’s face had paled. She looked at me as though I was insane. “They hurt you,” she said. It was deathly quiet around us. I didn’t care.

“I deserve it,” I replied back. I knew the Hangmen would all have heard, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything anymore.

I took hold of Harmony’s hand. I brought it to my lips and kissed the soft skin on the back. Tears of sadness and confusion formed in her eyes. I dropped our joined hands to my side and faced forward.

I looked directly at Styx and saw the look of astonishment on his face. Viking looked at Styx. “Prez, why the fuck does Prophet Dipshit’s whore look like—”

Styx raised his hands and started firing off sign language. “Get Mae and the sisters out here fuckin’ now!”

Bull turned and slipped through the gates. It was deathly silent as I stared my former brothers down. They glared right back. Tension thickened the air, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Harmony’s hand began trembling in mine. Knowing I had only minutes to be with her, I ignored the watching brothers and turned to the woman that had changed my life . . . given me life . . . given me the gift of her. Given me the only few precious weeks of happiness I’d ever had.

Harmony looked up at me and blinked. Her long lashes fanned over her cheeks, and my stomach clenched. I leaned forward and tried to put a smile on my face.

“Harmony.” I took in a deep breath. “Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for showing me who I truly am.” I shook my head, and laughed a humorless laugh. “Or at least who I could have been if everything hadn’t been so messed up.”

“Rider,” she whispered sadly, and a tear fell down her cheek. My heart broke. No one had ever cared for me in such a way. They never would again. I would never forget how it felt. What that care and faith could do to a person’s soul.

I heard the sound of rushing feet coming from inside the compound. Knowing our time was up, I leaned down and kissed her. As our lips joined, our version of prayer, I savored her sweet taste on my tongue, committing her scent, feel and taste to memory.

“I will never forget how you made me feel.” I squeezed her hand. “How this touch reignited my hope when I had none left to cling to.” I let my fingertip drift along her bottom lip. “How these lips made my heart beat, when I was sure it could never beat again.”

“Rider—” Harmony murmured, but I cut her off.

“Thank you . . . thank you so damn much for making me understand what it was like to be normal for a time. I didn’t know until you that I’d been living my entire life with blinders on. You . . .” I sucked in a breath. “You changed all that for me. You made me see the truth. Even though it was too late, I’m glad that I saw it. We should walk into death with our eyes and hearts wide open.”

Panic spread across her face. But when I saw Bull walk through the gates with three women, I stepped back and faced the Hangmen’s wives. Harmony threw her arms around my waist and buried her head in my chest. She was holding me so tightly, so hard that I almost didn’t hear her ask, “Why do I get the feeling that you are telling me goodbye?”

I winced, trying to stop the sadness from consuming me. I held it together enough to reply, “I am setting you free.”

As Harmony’s hold tightened, I looked up to see Mae reach out and grasp Styx’s hand. “What is it, Styx?” her soft, confused voice asked . . . then she looked my way.

As soon as her blue eyes fell on me, her hand rushed to cover her mouth. “Rider,” she whispered, and my heart broke anew. Mae had always called me Rider, even when I was displaying no trace of the man she thought she knew. She had never lost her faith in me.

I realized how good a friend to me she had been. She was my friend, only my friend, and I had screwed it all up for a prophecy that was as real as Santa Claus.

I looked at Delilah in Ky’s arms. Ky was keeping her propped up. She looked like she was in pain. Struggling to stand. Her face was blank as she regarded me . . . I knew the man she would be seeing in my place. My gaze moved to Maddie, standing in Flame’s embrace. She was clutching him tightly, Flame’s black eyes promising me a death worthy of a Hangmen traitor. I nodded my head at the psycho brother. He would soon get his chance.

I closed my eyes, just feeling Harmony in my arms for a few more moments. Eventually, I gently guided her away from me. She looked up at me, confused eyes searching mine. “You are no longer alone, baby,” I said.

She frowned, her black eyebrows pulling down into an adorably confused frown. I slowly turned her to face the Cursed Sisters. I felt Harmony tense as all eyes fell on her. I watched Mae, Lilah and Maddie as they gradually saw the woman standing in my arms.

A long, disbelieving exhale rushed through Harmony’s lips. “No . . . ” she whispered. “Impossible . . . ” I saw Mae’s eyes widen. Lilah and Maddie stood, lips parted in shock, for what felt like eternity.

Harmony staggered back against my chest, just as Maddie left the protection of Flame’s arms and cautiously whispered, “Bella?”

Harmony’s head snapped to the youngest Cursed Sister and a pained cry fell from her lips. “Maddie?” she whispered back. “My little . . . Maddie?”

Maddie’s anguished cry matched Harmony’s, and she ran forward. Harmony didn’t let her little sister take more than two steps before she was rushing to meet her too. As soon as they met, in the no man’s land between where I stood and where the Hangmen protected their gates, they wrapped their arms around each other and dropped to their knees. My chest was tight as I watched Harmony hold onto her sister so hard that I thought she’d never let go.

Maddie’s long dark hair was exactly the same shade as Harmony’s. I saw Flame beginning to pace as he watched them, his hands on the side of his head as if he couldn’t take all the emotion.