Chapter 5 #2
“How is it that I’ve accepted my fate, but you can’t?” Shaw asks, leaning in.
I turn my head, focusing on the kitchen. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
He grabs my hand and squeezes. “We have plenty of time left to cause chaos, Mara. I’m not leaving you anytime soon.”
I muster the nerve to look at Shaw. His handsome face is soft, showing no hesitation or fear as he speaks. Whether he has accepted it or not is one thing, but I can’t. I can’t process living without him, and I will think about it every single day until that happens.
Death haunts me.
“I can’t do this without you,” I say.
He smiles. “And you won’t have to for a very long time, Mara. Fear doesn’t stop death from finding us, but it does stop us from living.”
I squeeze his hand back, and the chime of the bell sounds again. I turn my head, expecting another person to walk into the restaurant, but instead I see the strange man rounding the corner before disappearing out of sight.
There goes the secret of my release if he noticed me.
“Aw, man.” Shaw watches him leave. “My new boyfriend just left.”
I toss his hand away from mine and chuckle. “You are ridiculous.”
We both laugh for a moment before Sasha rounds the corner of the kitchen, carrying two large plates overflowing with fries and massive burgers.
The aroma of the meal wafts through the room, and excitement rushes through me.
Sasha does a little dance upon seeing my face and sets the plates down in front of us.
“Dig in, you two. Let me know if you need anything else.” She smiles. “This one is on the house. A present for Mara’s return.”
“That’s so thoughtful of you, Sasha,” Shaw says.
“Agreed. Thank you so much,” I add.
Sasha looks around the room, making sure no other waitresses can hear her, and leans in. “Did you two see that guy enter the diner?”
I tense my brow. “Yeah, we did. We’ve never seen him before.”
“Neither have I,” Sasha says. “He gave me the creeps, though.”
Because he was a demon.
Shaw huffs. “He didn’t give me the creeps at all.”
“Maybe it’s just my own wild mind. Wendy told me that he wouldn’t really speak to her—he was dismissive and uninterested.”
“My chance is growing with this mystery man.” Shaw takes a bite of his fry. “Maybe he likes men.”
“Okay, Shaw. Give it up.” I give him a warning look.
He laughs and takes another bite of his fry.
“Maybe,” Sasha says. “I don’t know, I just hope I don’t see him again.”
She shrugs her shoulders and returns to the kitchen to continue her daily duties.
The bell sounds again, and a few businessmen enter the restaurant and take a seat near the front in Wendy’s section.
Our conversation quiets as we begin to dig into the meal I’ve been desperate to have.
I lift the burger, savoring it for a moment as I plan to eat the entire thing, plus the fries.
Chatter from the businessmen fills the small area as they place their orders with Wendy.
Even from our table, I can tell she’s flirting with these men as well—maybe it helps with tips.
I start to take a bite of the burger when gasps, followed by a loud female shriek, fill the space like a clap of thunder.
The scream fades and is replaced by the thud of a body slapping against the hard tile floor like a wet rag.
I jerk my head around and see the businessmen standing, nearly knocking over their chairs as they rush to the edge of the bar.
I snap my gaze to where they are racing and notice two feet barely sticking out from around the corner, motionless.
Shaw jumps up and rushes over to them, and I follow quickly with Sasha and the chef racing from the kitchen.
When we approach, I see that it’s Wendy.
She lies still, having slipped on the menu the man had dropped before.
One of the businessmen leans closer, placing his two fingers near the edge of her jawline while I focus harder on the waitress’s head.
A small trickle of blood begins to soak her blonde hair, turning it an awful shade of crimson.
“Call the paramedics right now,” I demand, looking back at Sasha.
She hesitates, her eyes fixed on Wendy’s lifeless body.
“Sasha, now!” I shout, pulling her out of her daze.
She rushes behind the counter and picks up her cellphone, dialing the number as fast as her fingers will allow.
I return my gaze to Wendy as Shaw leans down, making the businessmen move to the side to give him room.
He mimics the same motion, placing his fingers on her neck to feel a pulse.
The pool of blood grows from the back of her head, and I step in front of her to shield Sasha from the gruesome sight.
He slowly shifts his gaze to mine, and I know what he will say before his mouth even opens.
“She’s dead,” Shaw quietly says.
Sasha gasps and drops the phone on the counter, backpedaling a few steps, refusing to look at Wendy. “The paramedics will be here soon. They can help her.”
I grimace, watching the blood continue to leak from her head, knowing that outcome won’t happen.
As hybrids, we can heal, but not after a heart has stopped. We can heal wounds and even severe injuries with blood, but it’s a process that isn’t taken lightly. However, we can’t bring people back from the dead. Only one person can do that: the Grim.
I walk to Sasha, pulling her in tight and positioning my body between her and Wendy even more. She doesn’t need to see her friend on the ground covered in blood. The businessmen quickly pull out their phones while Shaw moves to stand with us near the register.
“What the hell happened?” Sasha cries into my chest. “Did she fall?”
I stroke her hair, allowing her tears to soak my shirt.
As an assassin, I can’t count how many dead bodies I’ve seen.
It has become normal at this point, and I’ve grown numb to the deaths of people I don’t know.
Before everything happened, I received assignments, had a day or so to study, then would sneak out at night to finish the job I’d been given.
I was quick, accurate, and dedicated… until I wasn’t.
It’s almost comical how easy it is for me to kill strangers, seeing how having a loved one die is my biggest fear. It’s cathartic—like I have some kind of power over death. Like I can control it, but I know that’s all a lie. No one controls death.
“Sasha,” Shaw says. “Go to the kitchen. You don’t need to see this.”
She moves her head away from my chest. “I’m not leaving her. What kind of friend would I be if I left?” Her tone becomes more frantic as the uncontrollable grief sets into her soul.
Shaw gently takes Sasha’s arm and tugs her in front of him. He leans down to be eye level with her and stares intensely into her eyes.
“Go into the kitchen and sit down.”
Sasha stares blankly at him, silently nods, then turns into the kitchen without a glance back.
I place my hand on my hip and whisper, “You didn’t have to compel her.”
“I did,” Shaw says, turning back to Wendy’s body. “She doesn’t need to sit out here. It will only scar her more. Maybe separating her from this will save her mental well-being.”
He’s right. Our minds were ruined long ago when we joined the Order. If he can save someone’s sanity by compelling her to leave, even after seeing everything, I shouldn’t argue. Sasha is pure; she didn’t deserve to witness that.
“Fine,” I say, sitting back down at our table.
The burger sits untouched on my plate, and I sigh, unable to take even one bite—I don’t want it now.
A few more minutes pass, and I hear the chime of the bell hanging over the door once more.
It will be a while before I want to hear that again.
The paramedics rush in first, carrying jump bags and medical supplies to treat the injury. However, it won’t matter.
A paramedic leans down, noting the severity of the fall and fighting the urge to make a pained face at his co-worker.
As quickly as he can, the paramedic signals that Wendy has no pulse, clearly having passed due to the impact.
Another medic escorts the businessmen out of the building to discuss what happened, and I wait for our turn.
Not what I wanted to be doing right now.
The sound of heavy footsteps echoes in my ears as they approach the table where Shaw and I sit, waiting. I slowly lift my gaze to the large, looming figure that has stopped inches from where we sit.
Riggs Haber stands there with his hands in his pockets.
“Mara Castten.” His deep voice booms. “What the fuck are you doing at a crime scene?”