I picked up the second syringe and slowly slid it into another vein.
He tried to jerk away. “You’re not supposed?—”
Another tremble, then his mouth screwed shut as I roughly shoved the needle around.
With a smile, I grabbed the third syringe and slammed it into his forearm hard enough to draw fresh blood. “That’s the experiment.”
By the time I held up the fourth one, his whole body was trembling, sweat mixing with blood on his terrified face. I tapped the syringe just inches from his eyes, letting the green glow reflect back at him.
“You see,” I said softly, almost tenderly, “the dosage is different for you. You’re not a supe. Your body doesn't run off magic.” I carved a circle around his remaining eye. “But youdidsteal those magical eyes.”
I pressed the needle to his skin—slow, deliberate.
“Let’s see how long your stolen power can last.”
I slammed the fourth syringe into his arm, burying the needle to the hilt.
“Let’s see if your precious little virus is a starving dog,” I purred in his face. “Will it claw its way straight to the only magic you have on you? I wonder how fast it will eat away at that.”
The reaction was instant.
His remaining eye snapped wide open, the bright purple flaring in panic, before his whole body seized, his tendons standing out like steel cords beneath his skin. The green neon light tore through his veins, making them bulge as it searched for something to hold onto, something to devour. Ignoring his useless human genetics, the veins leading up to his face lit up, flaring as the substance sensed the magic.
His last precious eye.
It ballooned grotesquely, swelling against the socket like it was going to burst. Veins spiderwebbed neon green, then crimson, finally turning black. The skin around it blistered, rotted, and caved in.
He writhed hard enough to rattle the stretcher, shrieking as half his face liquefied beneath the skin. Flesh sloughed off in wet chunks, sliding down his cheek in strips. The smell of burnt ozone and rot hit the air.
And, gods, it wasbeautiful.
Watching the magic he’d stolen get devoured, watching the horror close in on his one good eye… it was a justice I could practically taste.
The virus quickly finished its feast. His eye imploded with a wet pop.His screaming cut off mid-breath. The twitching in his body slowed, then finally stopped entirely.
His death, exactly as I had promised.
Exhaling slowly, I let the warm, dark satisfaction melt through my chest. One less monster. One less threat. The cherry on the top was that bastard died in agony, his own creation eating him alive. It was poetic.
Gazing at the carnage that laid before me, I tapped my watch, sending out the signal to the men I had waiting. On my phone, I typed out a longer message to the one in charge.Collect anything valuable or dangerous, then call the Devils for clean-up.
With that done, I pivoted sharply and strode back to Nick’s side.
Some color had returned to his cheeks. I dropped to my knees beside him, my heart tightening as I grabbed for him.
“Here.” Zeth motioned to Deslen, and they carefully lifted Nick, each taking a side. “I got the little fucker.” He looked at me, trying to ease my worry. “He’s not dying on our watch, Nov. We got you.”
I swallowed hard and nodded, the relief so fierce it almost hurt.
For the first time, I prayed. I didn't give a shit who listened to me, but if some higher power could help Nick pull through this, I would do anything they asked.
When it was all boiled down and this was what I was left with, I found the pain of potentially losing a mate was worse than being rejected by one.
Once we gotNick settled in my room, I refused to leave his side. I sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, eyes glued to the rise and fall of his chest, waiting for the antidote to do its job, waiting foranythingthat hinted he’d still be mine when he woke up.
My phone buzzed again.
Cal:Anything new?
