‘Why, thank you,’ I say. ‘A kind gift indeed.’
Coffin makes a pleased sound and hops a few inches closer to me along the bannister. When I reach out, he doesn’t move away.
The feathers are warm and sleek.Please don’t eat my fingers.
‘You’re a funny little thing, aren’t you?’ I say as I stroke his chest. I’ve never been taught how to pet a bird, and I hope that it’s okay.
Coffin’s feathers puff, and he flies up to the level above me, spreading his wings wide.
He gives a panicked squawk.
Was he mad at me? I stare at Coffin, but his eye isn’t fixed on me; it’s watching a space behind me.
I turn as something whistles toward my head.
Instinct saves me. I duck hard, heart slamming as a baseball bat cuts through the space where my skull was a second ago. It smashes into the bannister with a crack that makes me wince.
Eddie stumbles into view, his eyes wild and mouth twisted into a mask of malice.
‘You think you’re clever,’ he snarls, swinging again. ‘You think you can justwalk inhere with your fucking lies and fool everyone?’
I barely manage to dodge the swing, the bat glancing off my side. The brutal clip knocks the air from my lungs. Pain explodes, but nothing cracks.
I stagger back, vision blurring.
‘You don’t belong here,’ Eddie spits, advancing with the bat raised. He’s practically foaming at the mouth. ‘You don’t belong withher. You’re nothing.’
I grab the bat on the next swing, thankful the hit doesn’t have much force as the wood bites into my palms. Eddie laughs as he tries to yank the bat free of my grip. The smell of whisky rolls off him.
‘Maggie’s mine,’ he says, leaning in close enough that I can see how red his eyes are. ‘This whole place is mine. She just hasn’t accepted it yet.’
He drives us back toward the stairs. Until my heel catches on the lowest one, sending me sprawling backwards. He raises the bat, and it’s like time slows enough to let me see what I’ll look like dead on that stairwell,my brains splattered over the carpet runner. Gran never knowing where I’ve gone, or why I’ve abandoned her. Just like her son did.
No.
Finding some energy, I surge forward, slamming my shoulder into his chest. We go down together, crashing onto the floor in a tangle of limbs. The bat skitters away with a hollow clatter.
Eddie’s on me and far heavier than he looks. His forearm crushes into my throat as I try to unseat him. Stars burst behind my eyes. He cuts off my airway.
I don’t want to die.
‘You think shechoseyou?’ he snarls, spit hitting my face. ‘She doesn’t get to choose. She does as she’s fucking told.’
I buck while clawing at his arm. If he feels any pain, he’s long past the point of reacting to it.
‘I’ll carve you up piece by piece,’ he hisses. ‘I’ll enjoy it, and then I’ll fuck Maggie in your blood. Let her mourn you while I breed the next line of Hamilton spawn into her.’
My vision starts to dim, and I fully panic.
I drive my knee up hard, catching him in the bollocks. His grip loosens just enough for me to shove him off. Heaving in a stuttering breath, I try to get to my feet, but Eddie’s on me before I can take half a step.
He lands a punch that clips my jaw, and the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth.
‘Look at you,’ Eddie slurs, swinging again. ‘Bleeding already. She doesn’t like wimps.’
I grab his wrist mid-punch and wrench sideways until something pops. He howls, fury twisting his face into something inhuman.
‘You think you’re better than me?’ he roars. ‘You’re just another body to us.’
