All. Fucking. Hell. Broke. Loose.
All I could do was crawl on hands and knees as fast as I could toward the doorway, biting my bottom lip to keep from screaming, my fingers digging into the dust covered carpet. I ducked legs and arms and a chucked body at one point. Three feet of space to freedom had never been so far away, a wild bird caught in an owner’s cage staring through the bars and never allowed to leave.
A terrible roar sent me flying onto my stomach and covering my ears. My eyes shuttered closed as damp blood covered the palms of my hands, my ears bleeding, the powerful cry shaking the entire earth with its vengeance. I screamed right along with the crushing fury, tucking into a ball to protect myself.
I squinted into the pandemonium.
And I had no clue how it happened, what came next.
Theron opened his mouth for another mighty roar, blood splattered on his angry face, while he lifted my gun and aimed.
The shot fired right at Joshua, held captive from behind in Cassander’s strong arms.
But a blast of black sparkles charged the air.
The bullet did hit a seer. Not the seer Theron had intended.
Cassander flew back as the bullet pierced his chest while the clouded leopard raced on four legs from the bedroom and out into the desolate land, a feral smile parting his lips.
“No!” Poppy screamed in horror and shoved from the floor where she had been tossed. Her arms wrapped around Cassander’s falling body, gently laying him on the dirty ground. Poppy’s tiny hands slammed down on his chest, right over his heart where the bullet had gone in, and blood was flowing freely. “Cassander! Don’t you fucking do this. Don’t you fucking dare die!”
Theron dropped my gun onto the floor from a limp hand and stood frozen in horrified surprise. He gasped, “What have I done?”
Cassander blinked once, staring up at the woman putting all her weight upon him to staunch the blood flow. He lifted his left hand slowly and placed it on her cheek, cupping her face tenderly. Cassander choked out the words, “Poppy…you’ll be…okay.”
Tears ran down her cheeks and dripped down onto his forehead, her words a tearful cry of the broken. “No, I won’t. I don’t want you to leave. You need to stay here. With me. Don’t die.Pleasedon’t die.”
His lips curved up at the corners and his hand fell back down onto the carpet. “Don’t…cry…”
The words stopped as his eyes lifted to the ceiling. All awareness drained from his gaze, the gunmetal silver no longer showing life. His blank eyes stared into a place the living would never know.
“No!” Poppy bellowed and gripped his shoulders. She shook his dead body hard, trying to bring him back. “Cassander!”
Theron dropped to his knees and buried his face in his hands, great sobs wracking his massive frame.
I shut my gaping mouth.
And I did the worst thing I had ever done in my life.
I was going to survive.
During their time of horrifying grief, I grabbed my gun with a blood covered hand and rose to my knees. I aimed at the back of Theron’s head. I fired. I quickly took aim on Poppy’s frozen form leaning over Cassander, her attention narrowing down on me. I shot right at her head.
I didn’t look back at the dead as I clambered to my feet and grabbed my luggage with my left hand. I ran as fast as I could, my gun held firmly in my hand, and barked, “Order: Call James—Transport.”
I was talking too loudly. I knew I was. My ears were injured.
“Miss me already?” he asked, flirting like this day was good.
“I’m leaving. Now.” I sucked in oxygen, trying not to vomit from all I had witnessed today. “Get my train out of the storage you put it in and have it ready on the beach. Same place—”
James cut me off. “I haven’t had time to move it yet. I’m just getting back to the beach.”Had it really not been that long…“Do I need to come to you? You sound like trouble already found you.”
“Just have it ready to fly. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Order: End call.”
I now knew what Joshua got out of this deal.
Pain. Other people’s pain.
The seer was the devil.
And I owed him a favor.
