Lavender wailed, tears of blood flowing from that eyeless pocket on her face.
I leaned in close, licking it with my tongue. “Now, back to where we were.”
“No,” she sobbed uncontrollably. “No! Crissa, please! You have to help me! You have to believe me! You know me!You know me!”
My mouth widened at the base of her neck when I felt an odd flutter in my stomach. Something stirred within me, deep in the pit of my vessel, reacting to the woman’s immense cries. I tried to shove it down and ignore it, but it was too powerful, clawing its way to the surface, surrounding my essence.
Crissa—don’t.
She ignored my voice and reached out, forcing her way back into control.
“Lavender!” she gasped.
The woman’s single eye bulged at the sound of Crissa’s voice.
My face ached, throbbing with an immense piercing pain as my human clawed her way forward, forcing herself through. I tried to resist, refusing to relinquish my control. “No!” I shouted, clawing at my skull. “No! I’m not finished!”
My flesh tore and split as Crissa emerged, the two of us now sharing the same body. Half of her face had returned to normal while the other remained mine. She regained partial control of her body, the pain of sharing one vessel beyond excruciating to us both.
Lavender watched us struggle. “Crissa?”
“Ahh!” We both cried out in unison as our voices overlapped, morphing into the most unnatural howls.
Crissa used her arm and leg, flinging us back and we hit the floor. Lavender crawled from where I had her pinned, slamming her back into the wall as she watched in horror as Crissa forcefully reached her hand to our mouth, scraping past my teeth.
“Crissa—stop!” I growled, unable to control her.
She ignored me, screaming as I shredded her arm, reaching down our throat and down our esophagus, grabbing something from our stomach. We both gagged as she pulled at it, reeling her arm back, vomiting blood, flesh, and acid onto the floor below us. And in her fist were the pizzeria keys. “Take them!” she shouted, tossing them to her friend. “Take them and run! Go while you can!”
“No!” Our body flung forward, my arm clawing at the floor as I tried to crawl to the woman. “We are so close! You can’t let her leave!”
Lavender fumbled to her feet and ran down the hall as I continued to slowly chase her. She hesitated, looking back at us as the electricity flickered.
“Go!” Crissa cried out, fighting me. “Run!”
The woman used the keys and quickly unlocked the door, forcing it open. She paused, looking back one last time at us both. “Crissa,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…for everything.”
Crissa raised our head and looked at Lavender, tears rolling from her one good eye. “Then leave me.”
Lavender’s face twisted, tears flowing from her eye. “I?—”
“Go!”
She did as Crissa said and ran, letting the door close behind her.
“Crissa!” The hall shook as I shouted, forcing her back and regaining control. “Why?” I shouted, stumbling to my feet. “Why?!”
Because I’m tired of killing!
My body hit the wall, weakened by what had just occurred. “Crissa!” I slid down the wall, forcing my way back toward the dining room of the pizzeria. “Do you not see? By letting her live, you have broken your vow to me!” I nearly fell over, stepping into the dining area, trying to regain my strength. “I cannot leave your body!”
Yes, you can.
“How?” I snapped.
Because, by letting Lavender live, you have delivered me the most delicious vengeance of all.
I stopped, listening to her voice in my head, confused.
