I back away as he pulls out a dagger and it lights up in his hand, the glowing weapon chasing away the shadows around us. I turn to run. A loud thud sounds out behind me, and slowly I turn back toward Kairos to face it. My unsteady legs shake and my heart trembles within my chest, hoping and praying that Ere is okay.
He’s not okay.
A scream tears out of my throat, my knees throbbing and aching as I collapse on the unforgiving cement. My throat burns from the screams I can’t contain, but the tears that fall burn even hotter. I take in the thick, black substance splattered across his torso, exposed by the t-shirt that’s now ripped to shreds and barely hanging onto his body at all. The blackness drips from him, meeting the pavement with a hiss as it sizzles and steams and then evaporates into nothing.
“Please, just breathe,” I whimper, sobs escaping my quivering lips.
I place my hand on his chest, the slight rise and fall of it giving me hope that he can still be okay. He’s alive. Kissing his forehead, I wipe my tears and push myself to my feet. Four sets of red eyes are locked on Kairos as he spins and leaps and slices at large, scaly bodies. He admitted that monsters are real, and that he kills them, but this is not at all what I imagined. Their pointy teeth drip with the black substance that stained my parents’ skin, the same substance that now stains Ere’s skin, too. They tower over Kairos who is at least six foot two, their spiked tails thrashing and their claws lashing out at him as he fights them all at once.
I hate them. I want them all dead. In fact, I’d like to slaughter them all myself.
“Nora… please… go,” Kairos begs, only glancing my way briefly before jabbing his dagger into one of the thick, scaly heads.
The dagger glows brighter as he drags it across another monster’s throat, its black blood dripping until suddenly the body shatters into pieces and turns to ash. I won’t let them hurt anyone else I love. They will fucking pay for what they’ve done, even if it kills me. I run to Kairos, stealing the other dagger from the strap on his thigh, pointing it at the beasts who now focus on me. They taunt me, their glowing eyes narrowing into slants and their jaws widening as they let out a menacing growl, then snap their sharp, needle-like teeth together.
The sound is like shattering glass, but I ignore the terror that spikes my heart rate. I clumsily stab at one of the monster’s hearts and it leaps away, rolling across the ground and sending chunks of cement flying.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Nora!? I told you to run!” Kairos waves a hand, and a whirlwind of air pushes the monster back who advances toward me, then he leaps on it and tackles it to the ground. Black blood splatters as he jams his dagger straight through its heart.
It shatters and scatters in the wind. He’s slightly more viscous and terrifying than the beasts are.
“I refuse to be a coward, Kairos.” I step forward, slicing at the monster whose wide mouth curves up into a disturbing smile. It lets out a deep roar and slaps my hand away. “I’ll never sit back and not at least try to protect the ones I love.”
I lunge for the scaly body, using one hand to hold onto it as I stab it over and over in the abdomen. It growls and I growl back, screaming and stabbing, its black blood dripping down my fingers and searing my skin. I smile as its crimson eyes burn into mine, and just as I lift my dagger to meet its face, Kairos glares at me as he raises a sword and slices its head from its shoulders. The bloody, wide-eyed head rolls across the pavement, and I watch with satisfaction as it shatters to bits.
“Do you enjoy coming close to death? Is that what this is?” Kairo’s palms spark with electricity and he gathers a large orb of lightning between his hands, sending it flying through the air.
It hits its mark. Lightning surrounds one of the two remaining beasts and stuns it so it can’t move. It falls to the ground in a fit of seizures. My eyes widen as I realize the extent of his power.
“No, Kairos, as you know, I’ve had plenty of brushes with death lately, and none of them were particularly enjoyable,” I grunt, charging at the last monster. I clench my teeth and prepare for the impact of my dagger against its heart. “But I do enjoy watching these things die.”
I reach the beast, and it stretches its arm out to grip me by the throat. Claws tear at my skin, its hold tightening around my neck. I gasp and choke, kicking and scratching at it as the monster lifts me into the air and tosses me into the brick wall. I’m not sure whether the sound that echoes in my ears is from the brick or my bones cracking, but pain shoots up and down my spine as I slam into the wall and my shoulder aches as I land on the ground in a heap. It happens too fast to even scream, let alone to try to gather up the strength and run. It leans down and clamps its mouth around my thigh, the pointy teeth digging in and sending a hot, prickly pain through my entire body as they slice and tear through my flesh. I scream, scratching at its head with my nails as it bites down harder, refusing to let me go. Everything hurts. The fiery pain courses through my body like poison, spreading and latching onto every nerve and fiber of my being until all I feel and all I can think of is that pain. My vision blurs and I feel myself slipping into oblivion, a comforting numbness caressing my skin and slowly replacing the pain. Ashes rain down on my skin as Kairos ends the creatures life.
“Mio!” He yells, and then hushed words that follow are all I hear.
I’m paralyzed. I can’t move or blink or control even a single muscle in my body. I’m surprised I’m even still breathing. All I see is darkness as the black poison invades my senses. Kairos was right. Today is the day I die.
My only hope is that Ere makes it out of this alive.
I’m lifted off the ground, and the warmth of strong arms holding me tight to a muscular chest brings peace and comfort to my mind. I drift in and out of consciousness until Olivia shrieks my name, jolting me awake as I’m placed on something soft and familiar. My couch. I’m home. I’m alive. A large hand grips mine. A tingly sensation starts in my fingers and spreads from there to the rest of my body. I can move again. I wiggle only my toes and fingers at first, too afraid to move anything else and feel the searing pain again. But it’s gone.
Opening my eyes, I groan as my temples throb and my throat burns from so much screaming. Olivia paces back and forth in the kitchen, running her hands through her wavy hair as Katie talks to her and she nods every now and again.
“Ere!” I jump to my feet, swaying slightly and Kairos reaches out, placing his hands on my hips to steady me.
“Look at me, Nora.” He swallows, searching my eyes, pain flashing within his own. “Are you okay?”
I nod, taking a deep breath and forcing myself to not look away. I’m not okay. I won’t be until I know Ere is okay, but I allow him a moment to assess me and take in the damage. “I’m fine, thank you. I feel infinitely better than I did before, thanks to you, I assume?” I give him a small smile.
He nods toward the larger sofa against the wall. “He’s fine, okay? Please relax. You’ve been through a lot yourself.”
I rush to Ere’s side and kneel in front of him, his breathing steady and his skin no longer covered in the dripping, black poison. “Thank you for helping him.” I glance over my shoulder at Kairos, and he simply nods and then takes a seat on the other couch.
“I feared you’d use my own weapon against me if I didn’t.” He leans back, glancing at Katie who is glaring at him and not at all trying to hide it.
“Is he going to be okay?” I brush Ere’s hair away from his eyes as I lean forward and kiss his cheek.
Olivia pulls me to my feet, wrapping her arms around me and holding my head against her chest, squeezing me tight. “What the hell is going on, Nor? I’m sort of freaking out right now. Katie gave me a quick rundown when you guys just appeared in the middle of the living room out of nowhere, but—what the actual fuck? Do those two men have wings?” Her voice is high-pitched and frantic and her eyes dart around the room like she doesn’t know who or what to focus on.
