Bryce takes the rest of the day off from work after her venom extraction, and Hunt flies her home to rest. Their quiet afternoon is interrupted by a call from Micah, who orders both Hunt and Bryce to his office immediately. Hunt suspects the meeting will be about his confrontation with Amelie and dreads the consequences. He carries the still-limping Bryce to the Comitium, kissing her temple before they enter Micah's office.

Inside, Sabine and Amelie await alongside Micah, Isaiah, and Viktoria. Sabine demands punishment for Hunt's threatening of Amelie at the bar, which was captured on six cameras. Hunt insists Bryce had nothing to do with it, but Sabine is relentless. Despite Amelie's own protests that she doesn't want charges pressed, Micah sentences Hunt to the Living Death—the severing of an angel's wings. Hunt kneels, removes his shirt, and spreads his wings. Micah cuts them off with a sword, and Hunt blacks out from the agony.

When Hunt briefly regains consciousness, Bryce is at his side sobbing, his severed wings lying on the floor. Bryce lashes out at Sabine, calling her a disgrace. Sabine retaliates by revealing that she visited the Under-King to summon Danika's spirit, but Danika refused to come. The Under-King told Sabine that Bryce had secretly traded her own eternal resting place in the Bone Quarter—and all the Quiet Realms—in exchange for guaranteeing Danika's passage after death. Sabine accuses Bryce of shaming Danika by implying she wasn't worthy, and screams that Danika now suffers for it. Bryce furiously defends Danika, insisting she was never a coward.

A flashback reveals how Bryce performed the ancient rite: she stole a Death Mark coin from the gallery, traveled to the Under-King's isle, and repeated the ritual words seven times despite the Under-King's warnings that she would forfeit her place in every afterlife. Bryce has never regretted the bargain, though she refuses to believe Sabine's claim that Danika suffers because of it.

After Sabine and Amelie leave, medwitches treat Hunt's wounds without firstlight, as tradition demands for the Living Death. Isaiah and Naomi carry Hunt and Bryce home. Bryce tends to Hunt through the night, administering healing potions every six hours. She texts Ithan Holstrom a furious message defending Connor and threatening Sabine. Ithan claims no part in the day's events, but Bryce dismisses him with contempt.

Hunt wakes at four in the morning, feeling the devastating emptiness where his wings should be. He finds Bryce asleep beside him, surrounded by used medical supplies. Despite knowing their growing bond is dangerous for both of them, he pulls her close and savors her presence, refusing to regret anything he's done.