Tears stain his pale cheeks as he blinks up at me. Snapping the chains around his hands, I dry his tears before pecking his nose. His breathing turns shallow, and I know I don’t have much time before he passes out from the pain and terror he just experienced.
“I need you to stay still for me, okay?” I go to remove my hands from him, only for him to sob and grip my arm with both hands before burying his face in my shoulder.
Okay, no problem. I just have to do everything with one hand now.
Covering his gash with my palm, I close my eyes and break my hold on my Divine so it can surface again. My essence flows from my palm to his stomach. It doesn’t take long before I feel the cut closing beneath my fingers.
This is one of those times I feel grateful to have powers beyond what a Grim Reaper’s daughter should possess. Healing doesn’t exactly come under a reaper wheelhouse.
Forcing my heavy eyes to blink rapidly, I try to get rid of the black spots dancing in my vision. In the last decade, I’ve never had enough strength to stay aliveanduse my powers simultaneously, which means it’s time to skedaddle out of this nightmare before I start feeling the consequences.
I give us half a minute until I’m sure the kid is breathing normally. I watch his face regain some of his baby-pink blush, and his body, which was covered in bruises moments ago, is now free of them. Exactly how it should be.
Once the blood loss settles in, the boy starts trembling like a leaf, and I realize the hideous excuse for clothes we have on won’t do anything to keep us warm outside this dungeon. The little guy tiredly nuzzles his face in my stomach and I caress his matted hair, trying to solve our current problem before the next one pops up.
How am I going to carry himandfight at the same time?
Searching the cell, I grimace when my eyes land on the bloody and dirty blanket in the corner. Anything is better than nothing I guess.
The moment I have the little boy in my arms, the knot in my stomach finally unravels. I should’ve known better than to wait for the perfect opportunity. Now I’ll have to live with the crushing guilt of knowing I let him down.
Using the blanket, I strap the kid to my chest, tying knot after knot in hopes it will stay strong. This way, my little monkey will be warm, and my hands will be free to do whatever I want, likepulling out someone’s trachea.
I keep reminding myself only the inside of the dungeons is soundproof, so I have to be quiet and quick. Taking out the two Deviants guarding the entrance is easier than I thought. The coven should start a better training program for these brainless puppets if they want to stop me from coming afterhernext.
I’m aware of my piss-poor condition and how the witches are excellent trackers, so not lingering around longer than I have to is my main strategy.
My head is still reeling with panic and adrenaline. I think I stabbed someonedown thereon my way out, but I can’t be sure.
I’m almost to the edge of the forest surrounding the coven when my Divine goes berserk, trying to push me into turning back in the direction I came from. Maybe my crazy is starting to affect my Divine.
I have this odd feeling that the raw panic running through my veins isforeign—like it’s not my own, but that can’t be right.
As much as I want to figure out why my Divine is pushing me to the coven instead of the border, the kid is my priority. He comes before everything. If this is my last night alive, I’ll be damned if I die without making sure the kid is in safe hands.
CHAPTER 2
I’m still alive fuckers!
Nevaeh
Istumble through the thick forest with the boy strapped to my chest. The logical part of my brain, which is not that big, is screaming at me to pick up pace, but my body is on the verge of giving up.
There’s a bone sticking out of my knee, and even with the spear I’m using as a crutch, it’s taking everything in me to not stop.
Adjusting the kid, I settle him on my good side. Not that any part of my body is good anymore.
I was right in thinking the kid was on the verge of crashing because as soon as I picked him up; he wrapped his arms around my neck with an unnecessary amount of strength and succumbed to sleep.
The dry blades of grass act as little spikes beneath my bare feet, and the bloody footprints I’m leaving behind only make me limp faster before the ‘queen bitch’ finds out her two favorite prisoners have escaped.
The bright yellow sun behind me packs up for the day, and the sky turns a soft hue of orange and pink, creating a captivating view. If I weren’t literally about to die, I would’ve stopped to appreciate the beautiful sky in this realm.
Lies.They can have fucking diamonds in the sky, and I would still hate everything about this stupid realm and this stupid coven.
Like instant karma, I almost trip over a branch and wince when a sharp pain shoots up my left leg and travels to my head. The quickly fading adrenaline is making the pain I buried come back with a vengeance. I’m not sure I will be able to get back up if I take a small break, but if I don’t, I will definitely drop dead right in the middle of this ugly forest.
Another almost-tripping has me shoving my protests aside to slowly sink to the ground and lean against a large fallen trunk. When my monkey stirs, I quickly cover his back with my arm so he knows I’m still close.
