by C. M. Owens
Great, I thought to myself. Another love triangle. This time there was nothing in it for me besides a fatal outcome. A lunatic was trying to force me into loving him, and a malicious executioner wanted me dead because she was in love with him.
Irony was a real pain in the ass. Just earlier I had begged for death, and now I was desperately trying to figure out a way to survive—without joining their side.
I looked at the oversized clock hanging over the fireplace, and it gave me an ounce of hope. It had been four hours since I left the house now. Amelia would have told someone.
The only problem was... this was Graven's house. No one knew where it was. McKee was a bodyguard, and had most likely masked my scent the whole way there. No one could see them in visions or find their essence. I was going to get what I had begged for earlier—death by the hands of the enemy.
McKee moved toward me, propping one hand up on the back of the chair as he leaned down to meet my eyes. His begging eyes were gone, replaced by cold fury.
"Last chance, Aria. Choose me now—the easy way—or I'll let Yastine persuade you to choose me. The things she can do are twisted but impressive. You'll be begging to be with me before it's over."
Yastine smiled, seeming smug—not to mention eager. This was really going to hurt.
Bracing myself, I ansered, "I'll never choose you. Go ahead and kill me."
My voice shook, but I never broke away from his eyes, making sure he knew I was more determined than him. McKee stood up and motioned to Yastine, nodding his head in approval to finally give her the permission she'd been frothing at the mouth for.
But he leaned back down in front of me once more to whisper, "You may change your mind before she's finished. I'll become a very appealing option in just a couple of seconds, I assure you."
He backed away as she approached, keeping his cold gaze on me. I just sat there, immobilized by the truth. I knew running would be useless. Screaming for help was not an option either. No one that would be willing to help me would be able to hear me. I was trapped, and fear gripped me as I waited for the repercussions.
Yastine cracked her fingers and neck as she circled me. I was the mouse being toyed with by the cat. And I didn't see a cartoon happy ending in sight for me.
Her menacing grin grew darker by the second, as her sadistic excitement glistened in her eyes. "Finally," she said.
Then she threw her arms out in front of her, and the effect was immediate. A crushing force consumed me, stealing my breath as I stiffly fell from the chair. The pain from falling was eclipsed by the excruciating torture I was being inflicted with.
It felt like I was in a vice that never stopped getting tighter. My back was being pushed into my stomach, and my stomach was being pushed into my back. I couldn't even catch a breath long enough to scream. My bones threatened to snap soon if this didn't stop. I tried and failed to suck in a breath, my lips parting only to denied the oxygen my lungs craved.
McKee stepped up and waved her off.
"That's enough, Yastine." His tone was calm, but the hard edge was still there.
She dropped her hands reluctantly as she huffed and crossed her arms, sulking when she felt robbed of her chance to eliminate the competition. I didn't want to be the winner of McKee. I'd just run away like a good little girl if she'd give me that option.
This was the Mad Hatter's version of a three-way Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately, I was going to be the only tragedy of the story.
The pressure released, but the pain was still unbearable. I prayed to pass out, but no such luck came. It felt like my insides were still stuck in the pressed form, and my body wouldn't move.
Every breath was labored, each wheezed intake more painful than the last.
McKee glared down at me, kneeling as he had before. "Now what do you think? Yastine is a presser. The dark side is the only side with such power. She and Graven are the strongest pressers. She can crush every bone in your body in a blink. Do you still think you could never love me?"
He smiled as if he expected me to cave and give in to his demands. My body hated me for my decisions, but my dignity and pride thanked me in advance.
I grabbed my side in pain, still wishing I could scream or cry, but that required more oxygen than I could get. Sharp, searing pain went from head to toe, rippling over me with the throbbing aftershocks.
I had at least three broken ribs—possibly more. It was hard to do a full assessment because everything hurt.
I summoned up my last bit of strength to reply to his ultimatum, and braced myself for the inevitable backlash.
"I hate... you too much to... ever love you," I bit out, the words barely even a rasp whisper between my pained breaths.
He stepped back, jaw clenched, and nodded at Yastine to continue her torture.
She smiled, happy to oblige him in his sadistic pleasure. She threw her hands in front of her again, and just like before, my body caved in on itself, depriving me of air and voice. I managed a cry meant to be a scream, but it was cut short as the rest of my air left me.
Tears streaked my face as my body writhed involuntarily on the floor. She was taking her time, drawing it out, sucking every bit of pleasure out of this as she could. You'd have thought I wronged her at some point, because this sure as hell felt like revenge.
McKee left the room when he heard my bones start to crack and snap. In an effort to keep from killing me too soon, she stopped, giving me a brief reprieve to grasp for air.
My breaths were shallower this time. My lungs weren't taking in much, and my garbled bits of air were more painful than not breathing at all.
I heard McKee crank up his car and squeal out of the driveway, escaping the sight he couldn't stomach, and leaving me with his attack dog. My tears blurred my vision, making the images around me distorted, but saving me from having to see their faces as I crawled toward death.
"Now we can have some real fun, Coldwell," she hissed, laughing.
She walked over to the bay window, and I heard her draw the curtains open, though it seemed like a blur of red. Unfortunately, my tears fell in heavy drops, and my vision returned.
She was most likely watching McKee drive away, but I almost hoped she'd hurry and finish with me. It was just too much.
I was trying to move my arms to grab my sides, but nothing worked the way it was supposed to anymore. The bones inside of my body had turned into jagged knives and stabbed me with every movement.
Her twisted smile grew as she glanced over her shoulder at me. "Don't worry, witch. I'll drain your essence after I've broken almost every bone in your body. I want you to feel real pain before death."
I dreaded her promise if she didn't consider this real pain.
She backed up, her eyes returning to me. I started doing an inventory of everything broken to distract myself from watching her try to toy with my head.
My pelvis, more ribs, probably some leg bones... It would have been easier to count the things that didn't feel broken or cracked.
A loud boom sounded out, forcing me to cry out again when I jerked from the startling explosion. Debris rained in as glass shattered, proving someone had just crashed our party from hell.
The familiar body leaping through the air made tears fall for a whole new reason. Tallis was here. No! She'd kill hill!
Desmond and Ayla crashed through the same window, landing to their feet just as Tallis blasted the stunned Yastine into the fireplace wall. She yelped as she thudded and cracked the wall, landing on the floor with a thud that split the cold tile.
My three rescuers stood there, glaring at the room of killers that surrounded them and me.
"How did you get in here?" Yastine hissed as she slowly stood up, ignoring the burned flesh and blood on her arm from Tallis's explosion.
Tallis's jaw ticked and threatened to snap off. "Craymon blood. Your crests are worthless."
Yastine cursed and motioned for her minions to attack. Two guards simultaneously went after Desmond, but he slid b
etween them and crashed their skulls into each other.
Ayla took on McKee's parents, neither of them offering her the fear she deserved. She was graceful and elegant as she flipped over them, touching them both at the same time. They fell to the floor, completely motionless. She finished them with another touch.
Desmond turned into a bear and tore one of the guards apart, and transformed again as he attacked the second guard.
I watched helplessly as a blazer went after Ayla. She was dodging each of his attempts, but she couldn't get close enough to touch him, which kept her on defense.
Tallis was facing off against Yastine, and that scared me worse than anything else going on in the room. She was too strong. I couldn't watch him die, and I couldn't scream for him to leave me here and save himself because my voice had abandoned me.
She threw her hands toward him, but he somersaulted on the floor to dodge it. A table shattered into mere splinters as the crushing force she had expelled at him connected with it. Tallis didn't waste time. He quickly threw another explosion at her, his aim dead-on. She stumbled when the blast hit her waist, and she coughed up blood as her side poured even more. Using one hand, she put pressure on her gaping wound, ignoring the fact she was bleeding everywhere.
Her breaths were heavier, not as controlled as his, because she was in pain.
"You have no idea who you're messing with," she growled.
"Don't I, Cousin?" he taunted.
She grunted as she threw her arms out, using more force this time, but missing him again as he dodged her second attempt. This time the couch was shattered.
He blasted her in the same side, drawing more blood, and causing her to scream out in pain. She staggered to catch her balance, but her strength was wavering. Then she turned her eyes toward me, and the vicious smile that curled up on her lips sent trembles of fear down me once more.
She was about to exploit a weakness—me.
I was across the room from him, meaning he'd never have time to save me, and he'd have to watch me die. In his distraction, she'd capitalize, use it to her advantage and kill him.
I wanted to tell him to kill her; to kill her while she killed me before he lost his chance, but still no words could form. Only a pathetic squeak escaped my lips in place of my plead. She threw her arms in front of her, and I waited for the horrible pain to hit me.
But time slowed; things were nearly frozen in the air as the battle hung suspended. Fists were wrenched back, powers were hanging idly in the air, awaiting permission to continue. But most importantly, Tallis was sliding across the floor next to me, grabbing me, and sliding me across the floor with him.
The rest of the room was so slow that I saw a ripple in the air from the force Yastine had expelled toward me. It just missed me as time returned to normal and Tallis blasted her again, throwing her into the wall again.
She got up slower this time, barely standing before she had to catch herself from falling. She had blood dripping from her mouth, and she wiped away with the back of her hand.
With a snarl, she turned and retreated, running out of the room and leaving a trail of blood behind her.
Ayla had destroyed the blazer and Desmond had taken out an electric. The others fled with Yastine, most likely to grab some reinforcements.
Tallis scooped me up quickly—too quickly—and I screamed out in pain from the numerous broken bones I now had. There were bones broken in my back as well, making me feel as though I was a spineless lush unable to hold posture. He winced as tears filled his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I'll get you Anesta and Aster. Just hang on, baby. Hang on."
I was screaming in agony with every step he took, praying for death again for a whole new reason. I buried my head in his chest as he ran to Henry's car, jostling me with every hasty step.
Tallis gently placed me on the seat, his eyes wide with dread and horror. He climbed in and laid my head in his lap, doing all he could not to study me too closely for fear of what else he'd see.
The doors all slammed shut in near unison as Henry floored it. I wailed out in pain as Henry hit an unforgiving bump.
"Sorry, sorry," Henry said, a grimace in his voice as his shoulders tensed.
I could feel Ayla trying to calm me down, but the pain was too severe, overriding her ability to bring me serenity.
Amelia was leaned over the far back seat, guilt cloaking her eyes with tars. "Aria, I shouldn't have let you go. This is all my fault," she sobbed.
"No," Desmond interjected, his voice cracking. "I should have chased her down earlier. I knew she was too upset to drive. I thought she was going home, though. I told her that I would be coming over later."
"Why was she upset?" Tallis asked, running his fingers through my hair as they continued to talk about me.
I swallowed another scream, refusing to make everyone else endure the pain I brought on myself. We weren't going to get there in time. I was going to die, but I couldn't tell them that.
"She came over looking for you. I told her you were in Kaleman with that girl—"
"You did what?! Why didn't you call me then?" Tallis roared.
"I did! You didn't answer!"
Henry hit another bump in the road, and I let out a bloodcurdling scream as I felt my pelvic bone actually shift out of place. Tears poured out of my eyes, and the sobs flowed harder from me.
Tallis leaned forward and kissed my hand. "Shhh… It's okay, Aria, I'm here. I'm so damn sorry. I swear I'll never hurt you again. Everything is going to be okay."
His voice was soothing, but I knew he was just trying to comfort me. I knew he had found his soul mate. But the pain of dying in the back seat superseded any and all thoughts of that, especially when we turned a sharp curve that made my body shift again.
Everyone was apologizing for my decision. Everyone was forced to me suffering. And everyone was blaming themselves for what I had.
The metallic tang of thick blood sloshed around plentifully in my mouth, and I could feel myself drifting as my pulse got weaker, fading into the background of my mind. I was fairly certain I had a punctured lung, and oxygen was becoming impossible.
Summoning up the last of my strength, I prepared to say the last thing I might ever have the chance to.
"It was my fault," I wheezed, feeling my body go limp as I gave in to the pull.
I could hear Tallis yelling in panic, but it was echoed and distant, distorted almost too much to make out what he was saying. When I finally managed to strain enough to hear, I knew my soul would be haunted by his panic.
"No! No, Aria! Stay with me, dammit! Please, don't do this! Stay with me! Fight it!"
But the fight was gone, and so was my ability to stay awake. The darkness stole me and carried me away, silencing my pain.
Chapter 15
Unexpected
You never find anything you want until you stop looking.
Darkness was all around me, but I was wide awake. Little by little, my eyes adjusted to the small bits of moonlight that managed to wriggle through the gaps in the curtains. Much to my surprise, Tallis was curled up beside me, his body facing mine, but not touching.
It was only eleven at night, but the house was silent. I hadn't been knocked out for too long, but I suppose I worried everyone to the point of exhaustion.
My sides weren't splitting in pain anymore, something I noted with immense gratitude and relief. I scrambled around, checking all over my body. I didn't feel any broken bones though. I had no pain at all actually. I stretched to assess any lingering damages, but I felt brand new—nothing out of place.
Tallis stirred, mumbling something unintelligible in his sleep. I couldn't help but stare at him. I was almost hesitant to wake him, because this was going to be awkward.
Why did he have to look amazing even when he slept? It really wasn't fair.
I sighed and reluctantly tapped him on the shoulder.
"You can go now. I'm fine," I whispered softly.
His eyes flew open, and for a
second, he stared as though I wasn't real.
"You're awake!" he gasped.
I was embarrassed, ashamed, mortified... the list went on. I had almost gotten his family killed, so guilt was certainly on that list. I just wanted this to be over with, and as much as it pained me to lose him, I would make myself let him go.
"Yeah, you can go home now," I murmured, looking averting his eyes.
He completely ignored me as he grabbed my shoulders and forced me to meet his gaze. Relief seemed to wash over him as he continued to study me with disbelief.
"You have no idea how close you came to dying. Anesta and Aster worked on you for almost four hours. You were dead for two minutes; the two longest minutes of my life. I didn't know if you'd even recover."
That confused me, and my eyes darted to the clock again. How could it have taken four hours?
"I've only been out for a couple of hours," I said, shaking my head.
It was hard to ignore the dry, scratchy rasp of my voice, but I did. I was desperate for a glass of water, but I needed to get this—us—out of the way. Apparently he felt as though he had to fill me in on the rest of the night.
His lips tightened to a thin line as his . "Aria, you've been out for over twenty-seven hours."
I leaned back, resting my head against the padded headboard. "Wow," I murmured in shock.
But Tallis didn't give me a second to catch my bearings before he was shouting to the whole house.
"She's awake!"
I didn't even realize he had scooped me up until he was carrying me bridal-style down the stairs. Every light in the house was suddenly on, and gasps of relief rang out like a melody.
I was in a short pajama set, which shouldn't have distracted me, but it did. I guess someone had changed me out of my tattered clothes, and I was overly concerned with who had changed and how many people saw. I didn't need any added humiliation.
Amelia met us downstairs and hugged me, even though it was an awkward embrace because Tallis was still holding me. Everyone else was suddenly in the room, eyes wide and full of relief.
