Chapter 8 #2
Halfway down the hill, the fucker appeared before me. A shimmer of golden light fringed in shadows, and there he was. I slid to a halt before we collided.
I hadn’t even considered how a zombie fucker could get to a remote island, too busy shitting myself.
“Teleportation, huh?” I questioned.
“Not for much longer.”
“Good.” Fingers crossed his power was limited.
His eyes darted between me and the blade. “We’re bound, you and I.”
I got ready to dash around him. “Spare me the bullshit.”
My strength had almost returned to its full level, although my wrist still really fucking hurt.
“You think you’re brave, don’t you?” Aidan said.
“I think you’re a prick,” I countered.
He smiled. “This doesn’t end with you making a grand escape, Paris. This only ends with me getting what I want.”
I expected him to wax lyrical about his desires. Instead, he really came for me this time, dropping to the ground at the last moment, using his limb in an incredible twirl of speed for a zombie. It swept my legs out from under me, and I went down onto my back.
“Fuck!” I barked.
Thunder rumbled closer, a fork of lightning flashing in the distance.
Aidan stumbled down the slope, his legs breaking away from his body. His upper half tumbled down the hill, bouncing comically. But he didn’t make a sound.
Time to go.
Scrambling to my feet, I hurried back up the hill, pausing after a few feet.
What was I doing? I couldn’t go back to the house and repeat this process. He’d follow me. It had to be the ocean or nothing.
But my resolve wobbled. Looking at the dark water and the approaching storm shot holes in my plan. Suddenly, it seemed like the worst idea ever.
Because it is!
Aidan appeared above me, sliding down the grass on his arse, his limbs back in place.
Uh-oh.
I darted out of the way.
He grabbed a handful of the hill with one hand, the other breaking loose. His fingers burrowed into the earth, bony anchors stopping his slide. “I will have you, Paris Raine.”
Whatever.
Determined to stop that from happening, I ran at him, stomping on his hand. The fingers broke like wafers. He howled, sliding further down the hill, launching off the end into the water.
The dark waves swallowed his screams.
I waited for him to resurface, but he didn’t. I braced myself for him to teleport behind me, but nope. Too preoccupied in the water, I guess.
I gnawed the hell out of my bottom lip as a headache bloomed behind my eyes.
What was I going to do? I had to get away from here like five minutes ago. But I’d drown if I went into the ocean. I didn’t get to have the underwater breathing ability every other executioner had. When I got given the mer blood, I’d acquired the special song thanks to Caer.
Her song, not mine—I was nothing but a damn conduit in this bullshit game.
My headache worsened, making my eyes sting. And the thunder boomed louder, closer, the wind picking up more.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“What am I supposed to do?” I said aloud, wrapping my arms around myself.
Aidan was here because I’d set him free. The more I let the guilt from that in, the more it chewed on my soul. Him having to be free in order to stop him didn’t help. It was just more steaming crap to mess with my head.
How many would die in the process of stopping him?
What would happen to the world? And wouldn’t it have been better to keep him inside that tower?
At least he couldn’t touch anything or anyone there.
We’d all be living a lie, but at least it’d be easier than this.
We’d released a beast from its cage, and I couldn’t help but feel it was a massive own goal.
Ugh. The truth wasn’t beautiful. I hated it. Shove it back in the bottle, please.
Yeah, tough shit. There was no going back now, only forward into a terrifying future.
In that moment, I needed Silvanus. My recent constant, my enemy, his solid arms a comforting blanket my body longed for.
Only, I’d left him to be attacked. There wouldn’t be any hugging, hand jobs, or kisses from now on.
Damn my situation. Cold and alone on an island with a pounding head, and a deity trying to fuck me up.
Can I get off this ride, please?
At least the pain in my wrist had started to ease.
Thank fuck it wasn’t broken.
I watched the dark clouds really smother the sky now, the thunder closer, the lightning brighter.
There were no good choices here. If I waited in the house for Silvanus, we’d end up in a fight for sure. Or Aidan might get his hands on me first. Either way sucked on the biggest of frostbrood balls.
Not so fast, I told myself.
No matter what, there had to be a solution to this. I wouldn’t give up so easily, not after everything I’d lived through.
Something wet and reeking of decay clamped over my face.
“Enough of this,” Aidan said, his muddy fingers digging into my mouth.
I couldn’t move, his body was pressed against my back, and a strange energy filled me with cement.
Help…
His fingers widened my mouth like a car jack, stretching me open.
Help…
“We’ve parried enough for one night,” he added, and shoved his entire fist into my mouth, stretching my jaw to its limits.