“Are you forgetting that I was thrown into this! Are you forgetting–”
“No!” she yells. “I haven’t forgottenanythingbecause you never shut up about it! Poor Kallie, always the victim. In case you haven’t noticed—which you might not because all you do is talk about yourself—you’re not the only one in this realm that has shit going on!”
“Oh, here we go.” I stop walking, a menacing grin taking over my features. “Are youreallytrying to compare your love life to me literally almost dying?Multipletimes?”
“Don’t act all high and mighty. You have noideawhat I havegoing on! You haven’t been here!”
“Oh and that’s somehowmyfault? Be so fucking for real!”
“I don’t even know why I bother!”
“I wish you wouldn’t! After all, it was probably your dad who locked me up in the first place!” My mouth slams shut as soon as the last word leaves. I said it. It’s out there in the realm, and I can’t take it back. Her face looks like I struck her, and it probably feels like I did.
“Why…why would you think that?”
No going back now. “Maybe because he stalked me? All but forced me to go to his house and then, unknowing to me, made me drink a truth serum to get me to spill all my dirty little secrets?”
“My dad would never. He loves Nefarium—Siderium. He wouldn’t do anything to put his people in jeopardy.”
“Are you sure about that? Because I’m not.”
Footsteps pound against the ground, pulling our attention away from the inevitable. My eyes peel back, scanning the land for whatever is coming our way.
We heard something. Do you see anything?
Nothing from up here.
Stay up there. Maybe they don’t know you’re here, and we can have the element of surprise.
Odeyssa’s eyes meet mine, and I give her a curt nod. Light on our feet, we go toward the last noise. The land is still, no indication of another person being here.
Until I hear a scream ripped from Odeyssa, and I whip around.
It’s here.
Claws, talons, razor-sharp teeth circling Odeyssa. The creature from my nightmares. They’re real? What a sick, twisted game Callum played.
We have company.
My body seizes up, paralyzed as the nightmares come backlike a memory. Suddenly, a pounding hits my temple, hard and throbbing like something is trying to break its way out.
“A little help over here!” she cries out, but my vision becomes blotchy as another wave hits. There’s no water here, nothinglivingfor Odeyssa to pull from. I don’t register the slash down my back until I’m on the ground.
Of course there’s another one. But I can’t move…can’t.
A switch flips, and I’m up on my feet, all essence of pain gone in an instant, and I pull fire to my hands.
“What are you doing? You’re going to torch this place!” That’s the idea. A wicked grin pulls at my lips, and blood races down my back from the scratch the poor, pathetic creature gave to me as a gift. A reminder.
I launch the fire at it, his wails music to my ears, but it only lasts a second. The flames dance along the dry floor, and I will it to the beast, reveling in the pain it feels as it burns to ash.
Next, my eyes land on the poor helpless princess on the ground, the creature stalking up to her, ready to pounce.
Maybe I should let it have her. She wouldn’t be my problem anymore.
Firebird?
Rolling my eyes, I shut off the connection.
