I seethe into his face with bared teeth and dark hostility. Within my shaking, wrathful hold, his skin molders and greens, peeling away in painful strips. His teeth go black. His one good eye widens in fear as black veins leach into the white.
I fucking told him. He was done. He wasdead.
There’s so much savagery in me that his soldiers can’t do a thing. They fall as one, starting with the one who stabbed my dragon’s heart. I rot him through first, making him gasp with decomposing lungs as poisoned blood pours from his every orifice.
The other soldiers try to run, but their bones fester and crumble, death taking them to the ground with choked-off screams.
I squeeze my father’s throat, trying to squeeze out every fucking inch of fear and pain that he’s capable of. I want him to feel it. To suffer. To die in agony and terror.
“Culling the weak,” I snarl as his tongue dries out, the blackened husk breaking off. “You spineless, heartless, evilpiece of shit. May you rot for fucking eternity and know that you arenothing.”
His breath spills out with the shit and piss that seeps from his festering body. The last of his skin flakes away and his bones begin to decay. His nose shrinks into his skull, while muffled, tongueless screams scrape up his shredding throat as his useless heart blackens with its final beats.
I drop him to the ground, and his one eye follows me even as the lids peel back. Then I put one boot over his splintering skull, and Istomp. I grind his death into the yellowed soil like a killing sacrifice given to the land. Letting Annwyn soak up his poison, letting it digest him down so it can rid this world of him completely. Until he is nothing but dust and ash to forever be consumed by the earth.
I shake all over with fury. With hate. My body heaving with it.
And then, I hear her.
The smallest gasp that blares past my pounding rage and stabs me through.
In an instant, the violence and savagery is replaced with panic.
I spin around and run to Auren’s side, instantly kneeling next to her, horror slashing through my insides and making my eyes go wide.
She’s lying in a heap, with golden blood circling around her like a leaking star. The dagger is still pinned into her chest. Her eyes are wide as I pick her up to cradle her in my arms, my soul raging with defiance. With denial.
With utter fucking despair.
“Why did you do that?” I sob out. “You shouldn’t have done that. It should’ve beenme.”
Auren’s gaze swings up to me, and her face crumples. Her ribbons jerk around the ground like writhing rays of fallen sunlight. “Slade…I’m s-sorry.”
Misery wraps its hold around my throat and squeezes.
“No,” I say.
One word, over and over again. Over and over.
Over and over.
No, don’t be sorry.
No, don’t let this be happening.
No, don’t take her from me.
No.
“No, baby,” I cry as I press my lips against her clammy forehead even as her head lolls.
I’m in shock. Shaking all over with it. Unable to stop this.
Gold blood seeps out, her heart clogging with every labored beat. “You’re okay,” I tell her, my voice fucking ravaged. “You’re okay.”
No.
But her bottom lip wobbles and she shakes her head. Admitting what I can’t.
