His pupils blow wide before slowly deflating until they are two little pin pricks. He doesn’t move an inch as what feels like an eternity passes us by before he manages to speak again.
“Orion,” he rasps, and I snarl.
“It's just Rion,” I hiss, adding a little extra pressure to the axe, but he doesn’t fight it. Instead, he gives me that look, one of unchartered swagger topped with an air of superiority. Two things he once had in waves, but now he’s confined to these four walls with none. No matter how much he tries to muster it.
The reminder of the version of him that’s haunted me for far too long is the lighter fluid I needed to show him who he’s dealing with, because it’s not the same version of me he’s presented with.
“Look at you,” I say with a smile, unable to imagine how manic I look. “And now look at me; the monster you always wanted me to be. Any last words?”
He looks behind me to the door as if aid is coming, but he must surely realize that if I'm inhere, with the goddamn key, then no one is hurrying to save him.
Hyper vigilant, I watch every inch of him, from the way beads gather at his temples, to the jerk of his Adam’s apple as it bobs against the blade of my axe.
His tongue slips out, dragging across his lips before he speaks. “You won't harm me.”
It’s amazing how confident he is. How sure he is that I’m not brave enough, strong enough, manic enough. I wasn’t then, but I am now.
Yet he doesn’t deserve to see that in me. I tilt my head to the side, my smile broadening as my knuckles turn white around the handle. “You’re right,” I rasp, eyes burning, they're so wide, and he grins. “Harming you indicates that you’ll get to feel the pain. Death, however…”
I slam my weight against the axe, the action sudden and forceful, until the tip of the crimson-stained iron hits the wall behind him. His throat shatters at the connection, his head falling limp to the side as blood gushes everywhere, like a crumbling dam.
My pulse races wildly in my chest, but otherwise, I feel calm and content. I’m moreintrigued by the way his head sits slanted, precariously balanced on my axe.
I twist my fingers in his hair, confirming the separation as I bring his head to my side, watching his lifeless body fall limp.
Satisfied, I take a deep breath.
Just like that, he’s gone. No torture, no words of dismay or wringing out all the pain he cause me. I didn't need any of that. I just needed his head in my hand. That’s my kind of closure.
With a wry smile playing at the corner of my mouth, I turn for the door, unlocking it while balancing my axe and the head, but I don’t bother to relock it in my absence. Instead, I stride toward the door where my chosen pack awaits.
I rap my knuckles three times against the wood, and the turn of the lock ricochets around me until the door opens, revealing all four of them, but it’s Ocean at the front. Her eyes rake over me, likely acknowledging the splatters of blood I feel before I lift my hand, revealing her prize.
“His head,” I grunt, and she smiles as manically as I feel, reaching out to take it from me like the psychotic witch that she is.
“You just made joint first best friend status, big bad wolf.”
32
THORNE
After our slight detour to indulge in Rion’s thirst for vengeance, we make our way through the awful hallways of rock before exiting through another steel door to find more comforting accommodations awaiting us. Neutral tones fill the space, and real walls guide us as we take the small flight of stairs and move down the corridor, where a few doors frame the hallway.
Elodie’s parents’ names are engraved on the first door, while Ocean’s name is inscribed in the next along, leaving the final door at the end of the hall with four names: Elodie, Kael, Rion, and me.
Thankfully, Ocean slips into her assigned room, sans severed head, and the four of us file into ourroom in a comfortable air of silence. It's funny how everybody assumes correctly, placing us together.
Kael closes the door behind him, sealing the four of us away, and Rion heads straight for the adjoining bathroom at the other end of the room. Elodie flops down on the bed, and I perch on the edge beside her, exhaling slowly as I take in the comforts of our new space.
We're lucky enough to have the attached bathroom available, but there are still no windows. We’re underground, and that's not going to change until we completely leave. The room is decorated in the same neutral tones as the halls, which doesn’t make it feel comforting, but the people I’m surrounded by do.
The bed is big enough for the four of us to sleep comfortably and there’s a small chest of drawers across the room for storage, as well as nightstands on either side of the bed. Otherwise, it's quite sparse.
It'll do. It’s at least enough for us to regroup.
Kael kicks off his shoes and loosens his jacket, getting comfortable as I glance down at Elodie lying beside me. Her eyes are closed. Her fingers are laced across her stomach as she exhales slowly, letting the latest cluster of mayhem wash away.
The sound of the shower turning on in the distance fills the air, and Elodie jolts up, eyes narrowed at the door that separates her from Rion.
