He just finished what I started.
I stared at the dark water, waiting for an emotion to take its place: excitement, shame, even regret. Nothing came.
The only thought that flitted through my mind was that I should have let Rot get a bite and watch the fucker rot away. Like Gale did to me. Like Levicy did to Rot. Now, he’d never understand us.
I calmed into something hollow and empty, like I’d poured everything I’d held in into the swamp floor, but Rot’s rage radiated in my chest. An insatiable hunger needed to be fed, and Gale fit the bill.
There was no chance of survival for Gale. We wouldn’t allow it.
Rot and I were the same. Perhaps that was why we fit together in beautiful imperfection.
It was a shame Rot couldn’t see that, too. That thought tasted like vinegar on my tongue.
I didn’t say that.
I wasn’t sure if he could see me, but I held up a middle finger to the swamp. My hand shook as I did, so I guess I did feel something, but I was too numb to figure out what that was.
I defeated my demon before Gale took his last breath. When I’d bared my soul to Rot down on my knees. He didn’t get to swoop in and play devoted mate now. Tears pricked my eyes again.
“This changes nothing.”
I’d fight Rot too if I had to.
I was leaving.
I’ll never let you go.
Chapter 30:
MythighscomplainedasI fought against the sinking mud restraining me. It took every ounce of strength to keep running. Now that the fight was past, I realized how much power I’d used up against Gale.
Exhaustion threatened to creep up on me just as much as the water splashing behind me. If I gave him even a moment to speak, I’d fold. If he dragged me kicking and screaming, I wouldn’t have enough in me to try again.
The emptiness inside me yearned for the nest. It could ease the hole enough to figure out where my head was. I could recover from this moment and heal there. How could I yearn for a place so much? I’d only been there twice.
I didn’t dare look back. A single mistake would cost me everything I fought to gain.
My heart pounded in my ears as his eyes seared my back. Needy desperation that wasn’t mine flooded every cell in my body. Foreign fear pushed him after me. His panic made my breathing come in ragged breaths.
Or maybe it was mine, knowing how weak I’d be if he caught me.
It didn’t change anything. I pushed my speed up a notch, ignoring the muscles of my body begging me to stop.
When I did, I slipped to my knees, sliding across the gelatinous ground. Brush dug into my skin as I did, and I was sure I could add torn-up knees to my growing list of injuries. I barely got my feet back under me and zagged away just in time to hear a giant crash and thud when he landed where I’d been.
He snarled his frustration before the sound of plopping water told me he’d gone back into the water. My stomach fluttered with something akin to attraction. Like he loved it when I fought back, even though he pretended it was an inconvenience.
I heard the water creeping behind me. He had the chance to attack me on land and didn’t take it. He went back into the water. That was his domain.
If I kept this on solid land, I had a chance.
Two ponds came up in front of me. I kept to the strip of land separating them. I felt him leap before I heard the splash of the water. This time, I used the mud to my advantage, dipping down and sliding right under him.
His body landed with a loud splash on the other side, sending a fresh wave of sulfur and frustration into the air. I recovered easily this time.
A smirk took over my face despite my best efforts. “Too slow.”
His chuckles filled my mind, but his growls rumbled behind me.
