All he needed was a distraction. If she could get the cuffs off him, his hypnotism could work on the few humans that were on the deck.
But then he did the math. Even with the humans, they would lose. They were outnumbered. The moment Nadi’s form began to shift, she would be riddled with bullets. And so would he.
Raziel grimaced, lowering his head. “Remember your promise, Nadi.” Survive. That was what he had made her vow to him.Survive.
Nadi walked up to him, gently lifting his head in her palms to make him look at her. If he wasn’t mistaken, he might be about to cry. “Tell me something, Serpent…What is there between us? Can you name it?”
He gazed into those dark, opalescent eyes and said the word in his mind.
Love.
He loved her.
Moons, he loved her.
And he wanted to whisper the word to her. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her. How she was the only one he hadeverloved. That he hadn’t even known what it wastolove until her.
But he had made her make a promise. That she would survive.
And if he said those words? If he told her that he loved her?
It would throw it all into question.
So he shut his eyes. And felt a warm, bloody tear run from his cheek.
As he said nothing at all.
Leaning down, she kissed him. Slowly. Clearly savoring the embrace. Knowing that this would be the last time she ever felt the shape of his lips against hers.
It was all right. This was how it should be. She deserved his death. She deserved to watch him die. She never should have cared for him. This was simpler. Easier. Cleaner.
The universe had a funny way of correcting its mistakes, didn’t it. After she broke the kiss, he felt her breath wash against his ear.
“I’ve already told you what you need to know.”
That had him blinking his eyes back open as she stepped away from him. What did she mean?
She pulled the wedding ring from her finger that she wore as Monica and slipped it into the lapel of his suit coat. “Goodbye, Raziel.”
Mael jerked his head. Two men standing nearby came forward. One unclipped Raziel’s handcuffs from the loop in the deck. Both forced him toward the silver coffin.
Fear—terror—instinctual and raw came over him in a wave. “No—!No! Brother!”He screamed and began to kick at the men. Baring his fangs, he thrashed. “Don’t do this—don’t!” But it was too late. A punch to the stomach, another to the head, and he was down.
Panic overcame him. He was a feral animal. Teeth. Nails. Anything he could use to defend himself. Anything he could summon.
Another punch to the jaw, and he was in the coffin. The gas lamps of the ship went dark. “No!”He screamed and beat his fists against the lid, the handcuffs still holding them together. “Let meout! Lana!Mael!Mael!”His screams were deafening in the small space. He didn’t care. “Please, no!No!”
He still had air with which to shout. For now. The sound of the lid locking shut. The sound of chains feeding through loops.
“No!”
He wailed.
“Please! No! Please!”
Darkness. Movement.
He screamed. He begged. Gravity ceased to exist for a split second.
