Chapter 14 Liar
Chapter Fourteen
LIAR
“When is the last time you took your medication? Did you bring your needles?”
I blinked Daniel back into focus. Watching Nix fight was so strange. It was part of his love language. He hugged and strangled his men into submission with the same amount of intense affection.
“Do I look like I brought my needles? It’s fine. We’re in the middle of a war. Don’t get all care-taker on me.”
“Sunshine, you’re bruised all over. How badly did he hurt you?” my blonde friend said with a face of careful indifference that was so easy to read. He would rip anyone apart who hurt me, even the Prince of Beasts.
I rolled my eyes. “Most of those are from the haunted dungeon. You’d probably love it, but it was definitely not my thing.” I looked at the King of Macao who was watching Nix fight with a delighted smile curved on his lips. “Do you actually have my dad’s research?”
“I actually have a lot more than that,” he replied without looking away from the fighting. “He’s not very efficient, is he? That would make the fighting end too quickly.”
“You have no idea what he’s actually doing,” Beastie said with a cold look at the poker player. Not that I’d ever seen the King of Macao play poker, but I’d seen him want to play poker, and it was definitely his most defining character trait.
“Of course not. That’s why it’s so very fascinating.
He can change an outlook with a punch. What I think is most remarkable is the way he’s saving these men instead of destroying them.
Very interesting choice. It’s the kind of thing that defines a person.
One who saves. And her bruises are nothing compared to what they could have been.
She’s been bruising more and more easily in the past twenty-four hours.
She’d bruise if I sneezed on her.” He gave me a smile, like I might be offended to be referred to in the third person.
“You’re going to have to start treatment the second you land if you’re going to live past the end of this week. ”
I blinked at him. “I have at least six months.” Maybe. I really wasn’t feeling too stellar.
“If you fight for it. I think that Nix’s beast is under his control, so if you die, the world won’t fall into darkness and depravity. But he’ll be lonely. You wouldn’t want him to be lonely, would you?”
I glanced over at Nix, surrounded by his soldiers and looking very not lonely before I frowned at the King of Macao. “That was a very subtle manipulation. Good job.” It was the least subtle manipulation in the world.
He flashed a gold-toothed smile. “You’ve made a few friends on that side of the world. They’d also miss you.”
“Taco would be desolate too.”
Taco looked up at me with his big eyes. He looked pretty desolate, and adorable. That’s how I was starting to feel without Nix, and with the King of Macao talking about my upcoming treatments.
“You should be checked out thoroughly whether you decide to do treatments or not after what you’ve gone through,” Beastie said, looking at me with those cold eyes.
“Not you too. It’s so rude for you guys to gang up on me. And the kitten. You’re clearly all villains. Especially Taco.”
“After what Nix went through to get you the research, you wouldn’t throw it back in his face, would you?” Beastie asked, beating that dead horse resolutely.
I scowled at him. “Our deal was that he’d make the end of my life comfortable and fun. Traipsing through the horror dungeon was not fun. Risking his life and well-being to get some research that may-or-may-not be anything other than prolonged pain was definitely not fun or comfy.”
Beastie bared his teeth at me, looking like a monster. “Do I have to kidnap you and tie you to a hospital bed?”
I batted my lashes at him. “That sounds like it might bruise me. Are you okay bruising me? I might cry.”
He slumped back, arms crossed, storm clouds in his eyes.
Storm clouds were in my heart. The last year of not doing treatments was the best time I’d ever had, particularly after I met Nix.
And King was right about my hastening spiral down starting with the disintegration of my blood vessels and other important things, like internal organs.
I was scared. Yes, I was going to do treatments, partly because Nix was a fight-to-the-death kind of person and wouldn’t understand if I didn’t try, but mostly because I desperately wanted to spend a long happy life with my husband, my skateboard, and all the beautiful people who were willing to fight for me.
But I had no confidence in their research being anything other than a method to prolong the pain.
I knew my disease. I’d been fighting it as long as I could remember.
It was winning. It had always been winning.
What worried me was Nix. It was going to get really, really bad. I didn’t want Nix to suffer with me. I wouldn’t let him. If I was doing this, I was doing it my way, which meant I wasn’t going to be around anyone who couldn’t handle my misery.
“What’s Roger’s story?” I asked Beastie.
He raised a brow slightly. “Roger?”
“You know, your friend the doctor that you tried to set me up with. Is he really sadistic?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know him that well. I mostly made friends to see if they could save you. They’re supposed to be heroes, but only Nix…”
I swallowed hard, glancing over at Nix as he punched out some guy then turned and grabbed another in a bear hug that probably broke ribs.
I turned and refocused on Beastie. “Is Roger actually a doctor or is it part of his mental disorder?”
He gave a short nod. “He’s got a lot of degrees. He’s a genius. You know how they are.”
The King of Macao leaned forward, studying me.
“This sadistic, genius doctor, you might want to get to know him better. He sounds morally ambiguous and yet mostly trustworthy to help you spend your last days in peace.” His eyes twinkled and he winked at me.
He’d read my intentions like I’d said them out loud, but he wasn’t going to tell Beastie.
He had a streak of quality, that King of Macao.
Beastie glared at King. “She isn’t dying.”
King sighed. “You know the condition of your friend better than I do. We’ve both seen a lot of death. If you don’t think it rides her, who am I to argue?”
Beastie lost all expression as he turned to look at me, to really, really look at me, from my trembling, to the spreading bruises, my swollen lymphs, and my eyes.
I batted my lashes at him. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s rude to stare?”
He put his hand palm up on the table, his universal signal for me to hold his hand. He couldn’t hold mine, or he’d bruise me.
I carefully put my hand in his, squeezing his cold fingers. “Everyone dies sooner or later. How long have you known that I’m dying? You should be used to the idea.”
He nodded. “I can see the future sometimes. In most of them, you’re dead.
The world is colorless and empty of everything that matters, and you’re gone.
I haunt your grave between killing people.
In one or two, it’s different. There’s color.
You’re alive, surrounded by flowers and children.
You’ll have at least four adorable angels that you love to pieces.
And kittens. Some crazy redhead keeps giving you stray kittens to take care of.
Your kids call me Uncle Beastie. I’ve worked for years to set up the second scenario, to find the hero who can save you.
I ran through all my options until I was down to Nix.
He’s not ideal, or you wouldn’t be bruised like this.
Your kids will call him, Papa Beast. Your happily ever after.
That’s the vision I’ve held onto ever since I found out that you were dying.
Otherwise, I’d kill you to put you out of your misery.
Is that what you need? If you aren’t willing to try, I can end it for you right now.
You already hurt so much, or your pupils wouldn’t be like that.
” He lay a cold metal blade against my throat.
I blinked at him, startled. He was really offering to kill me? To put me out of my misery? Tears came to my eyes and my throat clogged. It was the sweetest thing he’d ever done for me. I sniffed and pushed the blade away and then climbed into his lap and put my head on his shoulder.
“Beastie, I’m going to try. But I’m going to have Flowers and Roger help me. I don’t want you to suffer with me. Or Nix. Especially Nix.”
He swallowed against my forehead while he carefully adjusted his arms so I had more support. “Cool. Aunt Willie won’t like working with either one of them, but I guess she’ll deal.”
“I don’t want her there, either.”
He sighed heavily then deflated. “Okay. Nix isn’t going to like it. I don’t like it. But I understand it. You must love me so much if you can’t bear me to suffer with you.”
“So much.” I smiled and sank against him, closing my eyes. “This is going to suck so bad, and at the end, I’ll probably still be dead.”
“There’s that eternal optimism I can’t live without. They don’t call you ‘Sunshine’ for nothing.”
“Oh, shut up. That’s what I get for being honest.”
“Honestly, thank you.” He kissed my head, only bruising me slightly while I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up when the plane hit the tarmac.
Beastie grinned down at me. He was standing there, staring at me while I slept. He was such a psycho. “You missed Nix fainting. He’s such a delicate beast. Needed to be carried to safety.”
Nix growled at him and then his face was next to Daniel’s, concern in his eyes as he studied me until he crouched beside the couch I was on and adjusted my blanket over my shoulder.
“Is it okay if I carry you off the plane, Kitten?”