“You remember that night, don’t you, Micah? The night you carved my worst fears into me. You told me to beg for mercy. Remember?” I grip his bloody cheeks and squeeze until I hear his cheekbones crack. “Now it’s your turn to beg. Beg me for mercy even when you know it won’t save you. Beg, or I’ll continue to carve you like a piece of wood,” I snarl.
“You are… an abomination made to r-ruin my kind. I w-warned my Queen to let me deal with you, but she wanted you alive.”
I almost admire his lack of survival instincts. He’s giving me the pleasure of dragging this out. Thehatred in his eyes is only making this easier for me.
“Like you tried to deal with me that night?”
I’m worried that the silence behind me means I’ve said too much, but if I don’t lay it all out today, I won’t get another chance. I can’t move on until I bury my past once and for all.
Micah smirks, bloody teeth bared and the reckless courage of a dying man coursing through his veins. “I almost had you. I could’ve taken what I wanted if it weren’t for the boy.”
I grit my teeth as flashes of fear and desperation from that night bleed into the present. I fought Micah with everything I had, but I was weak… and he took advantage of that. If Harvey hadn’t come…
I hear a shuffling behind me and glance back to see Hazel laying out her daggers on the floor so I can choose my next weapon. When I ask for a spoon instead, her brows narrow in confusion.
I sear the terror on Micah’s face into my memory, hoping they’ll overwrite the feel of his touch. Then I press the cold steel spoon against his eye socket and scoop out an eyeball—or two.Revenge for all the times he watched his men break my soul and took pleasure in it.
I yank the gag down, itching to hear him plead for his life before I end it. No matter what his last words are, I didn’t come here to forgive. I came here to forget.
“I’m s-sorry. I shouldn’t h-have… I’ll leave. Anything you want… p-please—”
I step behind Micah to avoid his filthy blood splashing on me and wait until his final word is a plea before I slice his neck.Slowly. I gag him again to make his end even more agonizing; his choked gurgles like music to my ears.
I’m sure I look like a maniac with a satisfied smile on my face, and the blood of my tormentor covering me, but the memories of that night hurt a little less now.
After what Micah did, I don’t regret a single cut.
“You can be scary sometimes. Even for me.” Harvey’s voice pulls me out of my head. His easy grin as he nods at me proudlyis a quiet reminder that it’s over now.
Harvey understands the weight of this moment. He knows how important this is for me because he was there that night. He saved me. Without him, all of this would’ve been nothing but a distant dream.
Angel pulls me into his arms, kissing the top of my head. I’m ready to bury this part of my past and never look back… but then we hear it.
Marching troops.
Motherfuc—
32. Welcome to the red house
Nevaeh
The clang of metal and the stomping of boots, coordinated with unparalleled precision, makes my stomach sink. I squeeze my eyes shut when it finally dawns on me.
How the fuck did they find us?
“Please tell me I’m hallucinating, and I don’t hear Heaven’s warriors marching up the hill,” I plead.
“You’re hallucinating, and you—”
“I will kill you, Sharky.”
Seiji claps his hands, wedging himself between Hazel and me. “Hey, save that rage for the army coming to bury us here.”
Angel kept today’s mission as close-knit as possible. No more than half a dozen high-ranking warriors knew we were headed to The Forgotten Realm, so how are we in this mess?
If Heaven’s army is here for us without an exit strategy, then this is a suicide mission. It’s hard to wrap my head around Heaven sending their soldiers to die to take out a couple of innocent kids.
Okay… we’re not exactly kidsorinnocent, but this is still extreme.
