My brain floats toward sleep when something catches my attention. The back of my neck prickles and I burst into action, even though I’m not sure why. It happens so fast. My body, jetting from the bed. I’d found a long shirt on Gam’s clothing rack and slipped into it earlier. It’s so long that it tangles around my ankles, threatening to trip me as I raise my arms in a fighting position and spin to face the windows.
A black shape is crouched on the pane. The face and body are completely blacked out from some sort of suit, not unlike the body stocking the worker at the Desire Dimension had been wearing. A weapons belt is strapped to its chest, as well as a belt holding two daggers. Glancing around for a weapon, I realize that I don’t have time to run into the other room and grab something off the wall. I’m going to have to fight the old-fashioned way.
The assassin burns inside me, ready and willing to engage and it’s a struggle to hold this part of myself back.
“What do you want?”
It doesn’t respond, doesn’t even move. Just sits there like a strange animal, watching me. The seconds tick by but my urge to fight doesn’t lessen. It grows. Suddenly, another appears in the second window and before I can blink, they leap from their perches and lunge at me. They land on the floor on all fours, gallop across the short expanse to the bed and leap upon it. I start punching, my fists contacting incredibly hard body parts as the things flank me and deliver blow after blow. Not a single punch lands on me. I thwart them all. Elated, I spin and kick, punch, and kick again.
One draws a dagger. I quickly observe, then return my focus on them both but it’s too late. A flash of yellow snakes toward me. My brain recalls the lasso that Maneshha had used on me once already. In my mind, I’m moving out of the way, but my feet are too slow. The rope wraps around my neck and curls around my head.
Electric shocks pump into me before forming a unified blast of searing agony that brings me to my knees. The creatures are on me in an instant, their hollowed out, featureless faces the last thing I see before I pass out.
My mind is in a sort of twilight where I can feel, and sense what’s happening around me but I’m not cognizant of it. I can’t piece it together and create the full picture. All I know is that I’m lying on something jagged and rough. It hurts and it’s a familiar feeling. I catch a sweet odor on the air that I’ve smelled before. Goosebumps rise on my forearms as sickly realization blooms in my gut.
“Humans. So fragile. You bleed so easily.”
Maneshha’s voice cuts through my head. I feel the wetness running down my temples then. Gingerly touching near my right eye, I wince as my fingers brush over lacerated skin. Pain wraps around my face, neck, and scalp. The lasso must have cut me along with inflicting some killer burns. Blood runs into my eyes. Wiping it with a palm, I’m determined not to think about how many injuries I have as I push myself to my feet. Despite the darkness of night, I recognize the place where she almost married Gam.
If only she knew what he and I did only hours ago.
He’s mine, bitch.
Assassin Krunch surfaces inside me with a vengeance. With a violent roar, I throw myself at Maneshha, my hands becoming a flurry of fists as I pummel her chest and ribs. It’s strange that she’s not wearing more protective clothing than the strip across her tits and the low-rise pants. She doesn’t think of me as a threat, obviously. That’s about to change.
In a flash, I draw a dagger from her hip holster and slash it along her lower ribs. Pale yellow fluid gushes from the word, much to my satisfaction. She yelps and slaps a hand over the wound, her eyes flashing red. The creatures are on me, one on my back, another tackling me from the front. My blade slides easily into the belly of the creature before me. Slashing upward, I gut it and kick it off me, then spin forcefully to try and dislodge the second. Sharp streaks lance down my back, shredding the shirt. The creature jumps off my back and faces me, long claws arched from its fingers.
Crying out from the pain, I brace myself for another attack, but Maneshha stops the creature with a gesture of her hand.
“Are you here to help your friend or not?”
“Give me my phone.”
I lurch at her with the dagger outstretched. My muscles burn with the almost uncontrollable compulsion to rush her and slit her throat. Even as I feel the urge, I hate it. This isn’t me. I don’t hurt people or draw blood. Maneshha is bleeding, because of me. I gutted someone…
She doesn’t move so I thrust my hand at her. “Give it to me, now!”
Still holding her side, she withdraws my phone with the other and gives it a little wave.
“After the portal is opened.”
Clenching my jaw, I take a breath through my nose. “The portal can’t be opened. I’m not strong enough.”
Her cocky grin flames my fury. “Are you sure about that?”
A ripple in the air vibrates through me. Maneshha backs up. Her chest rises with excitement, attention focused on the air in front of us. The ground trembles. My spine lights up with electric shocks. Spinning, I see Gam walking toward us. He’s positively glowing in the darkness, all the ends of his hair glowing a neon blue. His eyes are pure white, his lips set hard.
His arms tremble as he holds his hands out and forward. The air moves ahead of him. Something cracks with a metallic sound, like a frozen lake breaking into shards.
“Gam, what are you doing?”
The dagger falls from my hand as I start toward him. The air presses into me, resisting me, as I get closer and then I can’t go anymore, as if he’s encased in an invisible bubble. I can’t touch him!
“Gam!” Shit! “Look at me. Gam, please.”
The air cracks again. He falls to his knees as a yawning opening appears in the air. Maneshha laughs, her arms going wide in celebration. Then she holds my phone in both hands, screen pointed to the portal. A beam comes from the phone and connects to the portal. The surrounding air lights brilliantly. Shading my eyes, I watch in horror as the portal grows. A shadowy figure appears in the center, both close and so very far away. The fluffy outline becomes clearer, and tears instantly fall down my cheeks.
Reaching out a hand, I rush toward the portal. “Arial! Arial!”
