by K. C. Hamby
I snarl at the mention of Eddie.
“Well, you’re rude,” Nina comments and the air fills with static. With a simple flick of her hand, rude man is thrown against the wall of the building beside us. “You should apologize.”
He doesn’t get up again to fulfill her request or tell me why the hell he asked about my Mate or how the hell he knows about Olympia.
I pull my knife from my boot and spin, slicing the throat of the nearest Poacher as they all descend on us in a frenzy. Blood spurts from the gash and she drops to the ground, face first, nose crunching against the cement. I catch a fist of an advancing Poacher in my hand and twist, breaking the bones all up his arm. His scream is soon silenced by my blade shoving through his trachea.
Nina drops Poachers one by one, not touching them even once. Her face is set in concentration while I snap a neck or two.
“Ash!” Nina screams.
Before I can react, I’m football tackled by two huge Poachers. I immediately start grappling with them, rolling for an advantage and dodging fists aimed to pommel my face.
When I get a glimpse of Nina…
“Nins!”
…But I’m too late.
She is tackled to the ground too.
Chapter 9
Falen
We step into a jewelry shop I have passed frequently on missions, always with the thought of getting Nina a little something from inside. The bell dangling from the handle of the door rings, letting the owner know of mine and Eddie’s presence. It quickens the beat of my heart with it’s high-pitch alert.
The owner is a small, frail lady who walks like a queen from the back of the glittering store, her silver hair pulled back in a braid. When she spots us, she smiles fondly.
I freeze, nerves taking over my body. My mouth dries out like I’ve swallowed raw cotton and my hands tremor at my sides.
You would think I would get nervous, you know, killing for a living.
Nope. An engagement ring is what locks me up.
Eddie pushes at my lower back, directing me to the counter. I flash her slightly lengthened canines at the unwanted contact before I turn to the owner with a nervous attempt at a smile.
“What may I do for you ladies...” she stumbles with a glance at me, “today?”
My scar, naturally. No matter how many times it happens, I don’t think I will ever get used to people reacting to it.
I get it. I mean, it is kind of in the middle of my face.
I swallow hard, looking for the words I’m supposed to say to the woman and Eddie laughs, rolling her eyes at me.
Get it together, Fal, I growl at myself.
“I need a band. Like..uh..a ring, but like..”
Goddess, I sound like a fucking moron.
“The lass needs an engagement ring is what she’s trynae say.”
I nod my agreement before slipping Eddie a grateful glance.
“I see. Well, have a look in this case and let me know if there is something you would like to get a closer look at,” the woman tells me, recovering from her shock at my face and pointing to the see-through counter.
I look through the case in front of me, not knowing what the hell I’m doing. Everything is so shiny and overwhelming. Nothing like Nina. She’s simple, but not. She’s amazingly complicated but stable and strong. She’s a whole bunch of contradictions rolled up into one fiery, wonderful woman.
And I see it.
“That one,” I whisper, pointing at the beautiful gold band. The lady takes out my selected ring and hands it to me over the counter. My rough fingers hold the ring delicately as my eyes inspect it. It’s a gold band fashioned into a vine with tiny diamonds in the leaves.
“It’s perfect,” I whisper and hand it back to the lady. “I’ll take that one.”
She smiles and nods, taking the ring from my hand and placing it carefully in a box. “You must know your partner well. That didn’t take long at all.”
“I like to think I do,” I joke with her and she gives me a soft laugh.
“Congratulations in advance. I know they will say yes.”
I look at the ground and grin. “Thank you. Oh, I would also like to get a small knife made as fast as possible.” I pull out a sketch I did of Nina’s sgian dubh, a beautiful silver blade with stars in the pommel, a gesture to her favorite book, the sheath decorated with the triple moon symbol.
“Oh?” The woman’s brows raise as she pulls out a small booklet and pen, gently tugging the sketch to her side of the counter. “Give me all the details.”
****
I’m a little lighter somehow, buying the ring. It makes it real. And now, Nina just has to say yes.
“Glad you’re smilin’ again. It’s a bonnie ring,” Eddie comments while staring at the box in my too awkward hands.
I didn’t know I was smiling. I do it a lot more now, thanks to Nina.
“It’s just one step closer, I suppose. I’m not really worried about it because we are Mates, but again like…my anxiety keeps asking me what if she says no? Even though that doesn’t make sense.”
Eddie snorts. “No, it doesnae make sense at all.” She claps me on the back. “It’ll be fine. Stop your whimperin’.”
Am I whimpering? That’s annoying.
“Now, I wanna ask you somethin’, Reaper.”
“Oh goddess, what?” Dread turns in my stomach. Every time she calls me Reaper, she means business. I don’t want to talk business right now.
“Since you are so worked up about your reapin’ job, why dinnae you come with me on one of my missions? Ease your mind a wee smidge.”
At this point, I’m willing to do almost anything to be able to rid myself of even a small amount of my apprehension. That and I’m super curious about how Eddie does her missions.
“I guess it couldn’t hurt. I thought it was like…a need-to-know thing?”
“You’re gonnae have a ‘need-to-know’ job, too. We will basically have the same level of Top-Secret clearance, aye?” She smiles and it’s almost demonic. “So, it’s fine. Dinnae fash.”
“Fash?”
She groans. “Worry. Dinnae worry. I thought for sure you would know my talk by now.”
I snort. “Yeah, me too.”
Chapter 10
Nina
My head smacks into the concrete, but the sound is muffled in my head. A bit like getting hit with an airbag, but backwards. My vision spins, but I’m aware enough to dodge a fist aimed for my nose.
“Nins!” Ash snarls, grappling with two large men down the alley.
Oh, god. Oh, god. What do I do?
“You fight,” is what I picture Fal growling if she were here.
She’s not here to save the day. I must save myself.
Anger floods my mind. How dare this Poacher try to hurt me. How dare them ambush us like this. I just wanted to do something nice for my Mate and get her a ring and I may get killed for it.
I shove at the woman, but she holds fast and barely moves. I’m definitely stronger, but she’s got me pinned where I can’t get leverage and I’m too dizzy to grab for my energy.
Normally, you won’t be making a stab for the kidneys unless you’re on the ground and someone is on top of you…
The memory of Ash’s lesson floods me.
My hand fumbles around on the cement until it hits my boot. I dodge punches while digging my fingers into the leather, and they wrap around the handle of Eddie’s little knife hidden securely against my ankle.
The Poacher’s fist collides with my cheek and the crack radiating through my skull is enough to tell me she broke my cheekbone. My eyes water at the sharp throb emanating from my nose to my temple. Copper fills my sense of smell. My nose is bleeding.
It happens so fast; I don’t have time to think about my nerves. I just drop my hand on the Poacher’s shoulder, pull her close, and ram the knife into the her back, piercing her shirt. The blade tries to resist, but I shove harder, and it digs, cutting through skin, muscle…
> And right into her kidney.
The Poacher yelps, falling off me, but not before her sticky blood stains my shirt. She lands hard onto the cement, effectively yanking the blade from her back because I listened to Ash.
My grip is strong.
The absence of the blade starts a flood of redness coursing from the Poacher’s wound. I kick myself up on my feet and take a few steps away as she writhes on the ground, moaning in agony. Within a few seconds, she is lying in a huge pool of her own blood and the flow doesn’t seem to have any plan of stopping soon.
Ash roars and throws one of the huge Poachers off him. As quick as a snake, he strikes out and hits the Poacher’s neck with his dagger. He pulls the blade out, sending it flying into the head of the one he left on the ground.
But it’s only a blip on the radar. I can’t stop watching the girl I stabbed. I shove the bloody knife back into my boot. I don’t think I’m supposed to do that without cleaning it first, but…
Blood coats the Poacher’s lips now and her skin is getting extremely pale. I have the sudden urge to heal her, but I stop myself even when my hands heat. If she stayed alive, she could and would go after another Lupi. She may even kill one. She could kill someone I know. Someone I love.
So, I watch as the life slowly leaves her eyes. I vaguely register Ash fighting around me, but I seem to be stuck.
“Nins,” Ash breathes, walking up behind me a minute or so later. “You okay?”
I don’t answer. I don’t really know how to. I’m alive. Does that mean I’m okay? I just stabbed someone, and they died right in front of me. I made them die. With my own hands. Painfully, at that.
“Hey,” Ash says and grabs my shoulders, turning me around and pulling my mind away from the lifeless corpse in a pool of now coagulating blood. He squats, looking me almost level in the eyes.
He is so big.
“You did nothing wrong. You did what you had to do to stay alive. Don’t try to make it more than that.” He takes the hem of my shirt in his hands and gently wipes the blood away from my nose and lips.
I nod, slowly coming out of my daze. “I didn’t know I would be using that move so soon,” I mumble, fingers hot and twitchy at my sides.
Ash laughs, but it quickly becomes silent as he drops my shirt and really gets a good look at my face. “Shit, Nins. You okay? You’re getting a pretty bad shiner.”
I forgot about that, but as soon as he says something, the pain in my cheek returns and my eyes water again. “Yeah, she definitely broke my cheekbone.” I place my hand gently on the already swelling and hot side of my face.
“Let’s go so Fal can heal you.” He pats my shoulder and stands back up, plucking his discarded shopping bag off the cement. “Let me call someone to clean up this mess and we can go back home. I think we’ve had enough fun for one day.”
“Yeah.” I glance around at all the dead Poachers. Ash and I took them out by ourselves. If I weren’t a little traumatized, I’d be impressed.
My eyes fall on a small, black box on the ground beside a large puddle of sticky blood. I frantically pat at my pockets, but they are dreadfully empty. I scramble to the box, scraping my palms on the bloodied cement, and open it.
Please please please still be there.
I sigh. Fal’s ring is still securely fitted into the hard fabric. I shove it into the pocket of my light—and torn, ugh—jeans and button it up tight. It won’t be getting away from me again.
Ash and I wait until the bright-eyed Voίtheia arrives to clean up our mess before we head to the ferry. It’s almost enough time to have me quietly freaking out in my head.
Ash keeps me entertained and laughing with his dumb jokes as we slowly, so slowly, float back to Olympia, but I’m still shaken up and my face hurts so bad. I need Fal.
I need to talk to Fal.
Chapter 11
Falen
I wave to Eddie as she heads in the direction of our apartment building. She tosses up two fingers in response with a wicked smile and trots off, gray hair waving and bouncing behind her.
I should go find Nina, but my nerves are worked up after the shopping excursion. I don’t want my proposal plans to slip through my mind and ruin everything because of my anxiety. I’ve been working on my mental shields so I’m not screaming in Nina’s head, but when my feelings are a little more worked up than normal, I tend to let the shield slip. Hopefully, I’ve been able to keep my thoughts from her today.
I elect to walk through the trees around the training fields until I can calm down. It’s a nice day after all. Lupi spar and practice their weapon skills with each other, nothing worrying them in the slightest. The sun is shining, the air isn’t too hot…It wouldn’t be suspicious in the slightest for me to want to stay outside for a bit.
At least I hope it’s not. Hell, I don’t know. Anxiety is stupid.
I lose myself in the trees as they thicken, the canopies darkening the forest floor from the blinding light above. I close my eyes against the cool breeze blowing through the leaves and brushing against my face, letting my hands shake as much as they want since no one is around to see.
A laugh tickles my ears.
My eyes pop open and I become dangerously still, but there is no one around.
Was that me?
No. I have no reason to laugh. Especially not to or at myself.
“What…” I whisper to the empty air.
There is the laugh again, mocking and a little sinister. It’s familiar somehow, though…
I turn in a circle, but still, nothing.
“Okay, quit your bullshit,” I growl when I don’t find anyone around. I don’t like being fucked with like this. Someone is going to get their ass kicked.
“You quit your bullshit,” a voice snarls back.
I twirl around and lose my breath. My feet trip over each other as I try to take a retreating step, making my back slam against a tree.
Whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck.
“What the fuck?”
Because there, standing in the shadows of the trees….is me. But a different me. A darker me. Something terrifying lurks in her two—that’s right, two—amber eyes lacking even the slightest trace of a scar. Her skin is perfect like a newborn. No marks. Not even the small scar on my lip touches her face.
“Am I insane? I have to be going nuts,” I grumble and grab each side of my head and squeeze. Maybe I can force out this hallucination.
Nothing seems impossible at this point.
“What a question to ask yourself,” I…the other me…retorts with a sneer.
The trees around me pulse with darkness and static. My skin buzzes like the wings of a bee. Almost as if many-legged bugs are crawling just under the surface pushing against my insides, trying to escape.
“What is going on? Who are you?” I ask, all the while chanting in my head that this is it, I’ve gone off the deep end. I’ve lost it. I’ve finally lost my mind. It was only a matter of time, honestly. I shouldn’t be surprised.
But she looks so real. Like, I could reach out and punch her stupid smug face right now. Well….my stupid, smug face.
Or is it hers?
“I’m you, you fucking moron,” she growls and rolls her eyes, brushing off the shoulder of her nice leather jacket with barely a flick of her wrist.
Wow. I can be an ass.
“But how is that possible?”
“I’m not so sure it is,” she says and picks at her nails in boredom. “But that’s not what’s important right now. What is important is how you are trying to refuse me. I am you, and yet you are still trying to lock me out.” She saunters between the trees, but not moving even an inch closer, keeping her distance as she circles me like the predator she seems to be. “You refuse Hades and Hecate’s generous offer. Honestly, do you ever say yes? You’re extremely selfish and boring.”
I…I know who she is. The Monster, somehow manifesting outside my mind.
Or…is she? She’s right here.
Go
ddammit.
“Tell me something,” she purrs, eyes shining as she watches me, taking note of my every movement, every erratic breath rising my chest. “Will you let the darkness be your friend? Or will you let it rot your soul as it invades you, taking over all that was once light and safe?”
“The darkness has never been my friend,” I snap, confused at her sudden change in tone.
“Well, not with that attitude.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I snap and turn away, planning on heading to my apartment.
I need Nina. She can chase away this waking nightmare.
“Do not walk away from me!” the Monster roars and is suddenly right in my face. The air thickens and the trees come alive, dancing to music I can’t hear as shadows like smoke wrap around their bases.
I stumble, tripping over my own feet, and land on my ass. Rocks scrape and dig into the palms of my hands while I try to right myself and get out of my vulnerable position. My heart is drumming in my chest, telling me to Get up. Run run run. Get out.
I squint my eyes shut as my head pounds.
Run. Flee. Get to safety.
“You will give in to me,” the Monster murmurs, voice mere inches from my face. Her breath pushes against my skin and smells of death and decay; it reeks of dark, tainted power laced with violence and hell. “It’s only a matter of time, Reaper.”
I keep my eyes closed, somehow knowing if I open them, it won’t be an unscarred version of myself I would be looking at, but a grotesque version, smothered in darkness and dripping with the malice of Tartarus. A demon.
My demon.
The air thins, again resembling something I can breathe without poisoning my lungs. I slowly open my eyes, expecting the worst, but the Monster is gone.
I look around, searching the lingering shadows against the trees, but it’s as if nothing happened. The air is nice and warm again. The sun is shining as if mocking me. The Monster isn’t here.
I’m alone.
A whispering laugh teases across my mind once before all traces of the Monster skitter away.
