“Miss Love, if the world were to end in a… fairly horrific way, but you could stop it, you could save humanity” —her big brown eyes gleam as she gazes intently at me— “would you sacrifice yourself to save everyone else?”
“No.” Aric drops that answer like it’s final and nothing more will be said about it.
I arch an annoyed eyebrow at the hellacious man, but consider the question for myself.
“I—”
“No,” he growls once more.
“She asked me,” I snap under my breath.
“And I’m saying no. In no hypothetical or real way would I allow you to fuckin’ dive into a river after some swimless fuck, let alone give your life to save a society of people who have never showed you an ounce of fucking kindness!” His big palm slams flat on the woman’s desk and she flinches on impact.
But I don’t look away from him for a second.
“Bea did,” I whisper.
The image of her hurt expression during the Dark Moon is fresh in my mind, and it’s honestly the main focus as I consider giving my life for the world.
I’d save her. Even Mary. Maybe even fucking Calvin. I’d save them all if I could. Because my small, insignificant life isn’t comparable to the human race as a whole.
There are good people out there, even if I never experienced much kindness or love myself. I felt it in the way the shyest boy in our class loved Bea. The way he looked at her when she didn’t notice. The way he kissed her when he knew he couldn’t keep her. I felt it with every washing wave of my magic that I gave out, time and time again.
I felt love. It was just never mine.
And that’s enough to know my answer.
“I’d give my life for theirs,” I say firmly, giving Asta my final answer.
Torben shakes his head like I’m the most foolish woman he’s ever kidnapped.
Aric looks furious. The hard set of his jaw tells me he wants to shift so damn bad it must hurt.
While Latham… Latham just peers at me with big shining eyes. He says nothing. He offers no judgment. But something in the way he looks at me makes me feel his hurt.
I don’t understand it at all.
Maybe I’ll never understand these three psychotic men.
“Well then…” Asta fills in another line on the clipboard before flipping to the front page once more and checking a few tiny boxes at the bottom.
I lean into the hard edge of the desk to steal a peek.
Visitor One:Hell Bound
Visitor Two:Hell Bound
Visitor Three:Hell Bound
Visitor Four, Rhys Love:Other
“You three can join me right this way.” She motions to the men as she strides with paperwork in hand toward a little gray door at the back of the room. A square sign is positioned just above it and in glowing red letters it reads: HELL.
“Um…” I tilt my head to the side to try to understand what in the literal hell is happening right now.
“I’ll be right with you, Miss Love,” Asta says with an office-like smile plastered on her pretty face. Elevator music accompanies her every step while it just drills through the confusion in my pounding skull. Still, she heads toward the apparent entrance to Hell.
The men next to me don’t make a single move to follow her.
