The first blow comes out of nowhere—a fist against the side of my skull, knocking me onto my knees. In the seconds spent looking at Percy, the chained pair approached from behind and caught me off guard.
My vision blurs as my hands slap against the ground. I blink, not fully comprehending the sheer magnitude of fuckery thatjust happened, but when I manage to lift my face enough, I find Percy’s once more anyway.
At the same time Pythia drives a small knife into his chest.
53
ELLE
Percy’sagonizing scream shreds my eardrums.
Or maybe that’s mine. It’s hard to tell because of how numb my entire body is.
Shock registers on his face in the seconds between our eyes meeting and when the knife slicks through him.
My sight swims, but I reach for him, attempting to crawl in his direction like the snake around my neck. My limbs are numb, but I try slithering toward him anyway, hissing when I make contact with the ground.
The beastly men grab me from behind, edging dangerously close to the space between my thighs. I feel sick, but if this is what I have to do to get Percy out of here, then I’ll have to endure.
It will probably be over quickly…I hope.
Blood gushes from the wound as Pythia retracts the knife. She dips her fingers into it, drawing a three-headed beast on Percy’s chest.
He blinks rapidly, still somehow conscious.
“What the hell?” I shout, my heart heavy on my tongue. “I’m doing what you fucking asked!”
Pythia looks at me for a moment, then turns back to Percy, pulling her elbow back before driving the knife into his stomach—over and over and over.
The repetitive motion makes me dizzy, and I let my head fall to the ground as a pitiful noise escapes Percy’s gag. Tears slip down my cheeks, burning as they drip onto the ground below.
“I’m afraid Perciville has seen far too much,” Pythia says, tossing the knife to the side with a shrug. “I’ll take your cooperation into consideration henceforth.”
A foot comes down on my back, flattening me onto the ground and violently stealing the breath from my lungs. The pair of masked beasts flanks me, one twisting my arm around while the other applies his weight to my spine.
My mouth falls open on a silent wheeze as I struggle for air. Just when I feel myself fading, they release me, chanting something in Latin to the crowd around us.
Rage boils up inside me, making my limbs tremble with its ferocity. I glare at Pythia, imagining how good it would feel to wrap my hands around her neck and squeeze.
I’ve never fully felt that urge until now. My fingers itch, quivering with the desire to end her life as cavalierly as she has my friend’s.
That was his only crime—being my friend.
I am the common denominator.
But I’m certain if I did attack Pythia, the rest of the Death’s Teeth members would put an end to me immediately. She clearly has their loyalty in a way I can’t comprehend.
Instead, I turn and stagger to my feet. My face smarts, and there’s blood in my mouth, but I don’t pay much attention to that.
Bracing myself, I launch at one of the beasts’ back, hooking my arms around his neck and holding tight. He stumbles, gripping the rope barrier, clawing at my forearms.
I grit my teeth and use every ounce of strength I can muster, imagining his head popping off like a bobblehead toy.
The other man stumbles as the one below me continues to struggle, trying to punch at my sides. He lands a couple of blows, but the mask must be more restricting than I thought, because he’s turning to panic quickly, as if losing consciousness already.
His arm slips from the rope, and the three of us go tumbling off the stage; the breath instantly expels from my lungs as the other beast lands on top of me, smacking my head into the ground.
A grunt is audible as I lose my hold on the man, and I lie there trying to squirm out from beneath him. Then I feel something warm seep in around me.
