Chapter Nineteen #2
The castle glowed far too bright in welcome. A few more jewels appeared from the rubble, stepping toward us, drawn from their hiding places thanks to Q’s loud arrival.
Their gazes locked on Victor bouncing and moaning as I hauled him toward them.
His death belonged to Peter.
I’d promised Paavak the final blow that day in the kitchens when we somehow became friends.
I scanned the gathering jewels for him and Ily.
They’d be together.
They’ll come.
I ran faster, lumbering, swaying.
White spots blinded my eyesight as my heart thudded with exhaustion.
Q gave chase.
The hair on the back of my neck rose as he hunted.
I tried to wring out the rest of my power. I lurched forward—
Q kicked the back of my legs, sending me careening onto my face.
I tried to stop my fall, but my arms were done. My bones were on fire. My muscles utterly useless. Blood gushed from my nose as I ploughed up the grass with my chin. Gasping, I rolled onto my side, only for Q to kick me in the ribs. The same cracked ribs that’d only just healed.
I bellowed as sickness splashed sour and tangy on my tongue.
Consciousness threatened to snuff out.
Victor squirmed away, managing to tongue the sock-gag out of his mouth. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here!” He sobbed, sounding exactly like all the tortured jewels he’d maimed. “He cut me. He’s going to kill me. He’s deranged!”
I had no strength to fight back as Q grabbed my hair, yanked me onto my knees, and pressed the gun against my forehead.
Ignoring Victor, he hissed, “You put my son in danger. You put my life in danger. You put my wife’s life in danger.
” Grinding the muzzle of his pistol against my skin, he snarled, “You’re no kin of mine.
You’re him. You’re exactly like our father, just as I suspected.
And I’m going to do to you what I did to him. ”
Victor simpered and kept squirming away. “Kill him. Please. He’s hurt so many. He’s a monster!”
I opened my mouth to tell Q his greatest enemy was right there. Bleeding and broken but still far too cunning.
But Q pulled back, fisted the gun with both hands, and hovered his fingers over the trigger. “Goodbye, broth—”
“Wait!” Ben and Stewart slammed to a stop in front of me. “Don’t!”
“Get out of the motherfucking way!” Q roared.
“I was the one who called you,” Stewart spat. “You’re here because of us. You’re walking in at the end of this war because of him.” Pointing at me on the ground, he added, “He helped us. He almost died to save the jewels. Can’t you see that? Open your damn eyes!”
Ben flung his arms at the castle. Something crashed inside, chewed apart by hungry flames.
“This happened because we fought together.” Pointing at my golden collar and cuffs, he said, “He’s been a prisoner for months.
He’s been tortured for months. By him.” He pointed at Victor.
Marching toward the true monster, he kicked Victor’s shot shoulder and stomped on his lower back.
Victor howled, then turned manic. He fought upright, managing to shove Ben’s foot off him. “Don’t listen to them! They’re just as bad as Henri! All these men are. The guards! They’re in on it! Help me.”
The bald guard crossed his arms and muttered, “That’s Victor Grand, and you’d be wise not to trust a word out of his mouth.”
Q went deathly still. His eyes snapped to Victor.
Victor shuffled backward, dragging his useless legs across the manicured lawn, turning green into glistening red. He shook his head. “They’re lying. They’re all lying. I’m—”
“I admit it’s been a while since I saw a picture of you.
” Q smirked and stepped toward him. His pistol swung to point at Victor’s face instead of mine.
“But it is you. I never forget the eyes of evil.” Cocking his head like a vulture, he sniffed.
“You know what? A bullet is far too good for you.” Shifting back to me, he snatched up my discarded knife.
“I made a vow to my wife once upon a time to see if men like you have hearts.” He launched at Victor and landed on his knees, either side of the Master Jeweler’s chest. “Let’s find out, shall we? ”
Victor screamed as Q brought the knife down.
“STOP!” I used every last droplet of aliveness to throw myself at my brother and shove him off Victor. The knife caught me in the side. Only shallow. Just a nick. But it added another creep of pain that I could no longer block out.
“His death isn’t yours!” I snarled and coughed and gasped. “Peter! Paavak! Get your ass out here!”
Q shoved me off him as if I weighed nothing.
I struggled onto my hands and knees, hacking up a glob of blood.
I couldn’t catch a proper breath anymore.
I shivered with a bone-arctic chill.
“His death belongs...to the jewels,” I gasped, glowering at my brother. “Not you.”
Scowling, Q paced around Victor. He eyed up Victor’s bloody ankles and shot me a look with a raised eyebrow. And then his gaze landed on my shredded back. The mess that was left of me.
He went still.
His face filled with questions.
They fired at me like bullets, demanding answers.
But I had no energy to tell him anything.
Once again, my gaze was drawn to a shadowy part of the garden where a fire had burned out and a few jewels huddled around something on the ground.
The fact that they hadn’t come to watch the show. The fact that they’d stayed there, heads bowed, hands linked, tears glimmering on their dirty cheeks.
Where’s Peter?
Where’s Ily?
A godawful stabbing arrowed right through my fucking heart.
No...
Victor wasn’t telling the truth.
He can’t...
I crawled.
I staggered to my feet and wrapped my arms around my waist, trying to hold all my pain together. “Ily...”
The jewels sitting around the two denser shadows on the grass reminded me so much of a vigil, a funeral—
No...please, fuck no...
I broke into a wobbly run.
“Give the knife to the jewels,” Ben said behind me. “Like Henri said, Victor’s death belongs to them.”
I didn’t look to see if Q obeyed.
But then the sounds of Victor’s screeching tore through the moonlight as the crowd of jewels fell on him, delivering him the same mercy he’d shown them.
“This is for Rebecca,” someone hissed.
Victor howled.
“This is for Bet.”
Victor screamed.
“This is for Dane.”
Victor shrieked.
The beast inside me wanted to watch. It wanted to participate and tear Victor limb from fucking limb, but...
I couldn’t stop the calling, the command.
It was as if a black hole latched onto my heart and dragged me into its orbit.
I couldn’t stop it.
Couldn’t fight it.
I bolted right to the ring of silent jewels.
I didn’t look at them.
I just looked at the ground before them.
And I finally saw.
No...
My legs gave out.
I slammed to my knees beside my only friend and twin flame.
Peter lay on his back, eyes closed, face serene.
Ily lay next to him, black hair haloing the grass, dark scarlet soaking everywhere. A piece of purple silk tangled around her collar, dripping with red.
“No...” A cry escaped me, tattered and terrible, utterly feral with fear. “I-It’s not possible.”
The jewels moved aside as I gathered Ily’s lifeless body onto my lap.
I cradled her head.
I kissed her cold lips.
The fire that bound us.
The soul that we shared.
I couldn’t feel it.
Why can’t I feel it?!
“Ily...come on. Open your eyes.” I kissed her brow, and brushed aside her hair. “Please open your eyes. It’s over. We won. You’re free.”
I rocked faster and faster, a hurricane of grief howling through me.
“Little nightmare, please...please don’t do this. Not now.” Tears streamed down my cheeks and landed on hers. They rolled down her chin, leaving streaks in all the blood.
Hugging her lifeless form, I reached across and grabbed Peter’s icy hand. “Paavak...come on. Snap out of it.”
Caishen bowed his head, sobbing quietly. “Henri, they’re—”
“No. Don’t say it. They’re not.”
“I tried.” Caishen gasped. “I tried to stem their bleeding. I’m sorry. So fucking sorry.”
“Peter.” I crushed the bones in my friend’s hand. “Wake the fuck up. Victor’s waiting for you. You have to deliver the killing blow.”
Nothing.
“Ily...” I brushed my nose against hers.
No air from her lungs.
No breath in her body.
I grunted as pain I’d never felt before eviscerated me.
“Please, Ily...please don’t...”
Her head lolled lifelessly on my arm.
I gagged.
I couldn’t breathe.
I can’t breathe!
Things imploded inside me just like the falling fortress.
My ribs tumbled into ruin.
My bones shattered into dust.
My heart pounded, pounded, racing toward its final beat the longer Ily’s wonderful golden eyes didn’t open.
“Please,” I howled.
I rocked.
I sobbed.
I couldn’t stop moving.
Couldn’t stop touching.
Couldn’t stop shaking and quaking and—
A hand landed on my lashed shoulder. Q muttered, “Onn Ree...she’s gone.”
If I had any strength left, I would’ve slaughtered him for that. I would’ve ripped out his motherfucking heart for sending me here. I would’ve torn out his entrails for making me find the other half of my heart, only to lose it on the day we gained our freedom.
But I had nothing.
Just death.
Just loss.
Just nothing.
Venomous calm soaked through me.
Exquisite acceptance slowed my heart.
So be it.
Choking on my tears, I slowly placed Ily back on the grass beside Peter.
Loneliness sliced through me.
Despair crushed.
I couldn’t live with this pain.
I’d never been able to live with this pain.
“I love you,” I whispered as I placed her hand in Peter’s.
“I’ll see you soon.” I kissed her one last time on her blue cold lips.
And then I turned to my brother hovering behind me.
I grabbed his hand still holding his gun.
I jerked it up and pressed the muzzle against my forehead.
“Kill me,” I hissed. “I can’t do this anymore.”
And then, I reached for the trigger.
And squeezed—