Chapter 14 Liar #2
I felt like I’d gotten run over by a road grinder, the kind with spikes coming out the bottom.
I smiled brightly and sat up. “If what Beastie said is true, I’ll have to carry you.
” I touched his shoulder and then couldn’t help but slide my arms around him and hold him as tight as I could, pressing my cheek against his chest.
“Is this you carrying me?” he murmured against my ear, wrapping his arms around me. He felt so good. But even his touch was going to bruise me.
I sniffed against his shirt. “Yep. Pretty impressive, right? Tell me you love me.”
He shifted so he was on the couch and I was in his arms, every part of him perfect support, cushion, and connection. “I knew I forgot something. How rude of me not to proclaim my love the moment you opened your eyes. I love you, Sunshine Death-Hammer.”
I sighed heavily, soaking in his words, his strength, his goodness. “I love you, Nix, King of the Beasts. I think you should probably get some sexy lingerie for me.”
“Absolutely. Like that racy number with the smiley face on the front. I couldn’t keep myself from ripping it off you, though. Such sex appeal is dangerous.”
I snorted and pulled away to cup his face in my palms. He was so beautiful.
Dazzling. Deadly. “For me means that you wear it. I’m thinking loincloth and leaves.
We need to get the rooms above us, expand up, so you can swing on vines from wall to wall.
King of the Beasts should also have a theme song.
I’ll ask Pinkie to compose something. We could do a whole theme park!
The gift shop will have stuffed kittens and loin cloths. It’s going to be stellar.”
He smiled softly. “The hallucinations have already begun. I love it. What are you really thinking?”
I patted his cheek. “How glad I am that I took advantage of you when you didn’t mind hurting me.” I winked at him. “If not for your beast, I’d die a virgin.”
There was no reaction that I could read, but I knew him well enough to know that his easy smile covered a world of feelings. He could say that feelings weren’t real, but his beast operated on feelings more than thought.
I patted his chest, pushing up so I could stand. I swayed, but kept my feet. And there were the kitten slippers Pinkie had gotten for me.
I carefully put my swollen feet in those things and headed for the exit. Hopefully there would be a wheelchair at the bottom. Maybe one of those ambulance beds with wheels. Wheels were the important thing. I wasn’t going to be doing any more boarding, but I needed one last ride.
“Are you sure I can’t carry you, Kitten,” Nix asked, breathing down my neck. Actually, he was too tall for that, and I was small and adorable, but he hovered so he could catch me if I fell.
He was so sweet. I wanted to sit down and start bawling, but then he’d never leave me. And then he’d suffer with me, but he’d be the one forced to act like he was happy. I knew what that was like. “You’re going to make me think you like carrying me.”
“Me, like carrying the sweetest, most adorable, and softest female in the entire world who I had the good fortune to marry? Never.”
I hesitated, almost turned to him and made him carry me to a bed somewhere and give me one last hay ride before all my organs melted.
Nope. We weren’t dying today. We were going to draw out the pain as long as possible.
Yay! Maybe we’d come out on the other side.
Likely we wouldn’t, but I’d had my hayride.
And it had been better than I’d ever imagined.
Waking up in my husband’s arms on that boat was worth everything.
When I got to the doorway and looked out, I was disappointed to see that there were no wheels besides an extremely long yellow limousine. No wheelchair, no rolling ambulance bed, just a polite-looking Flowers and a grumpy-looking Roger.
I glanced back at Beastie who gave me a slight nod. This was my chance to escape Nix and put myself in the hands of the heroes who wouldn’t mind watching me suffer. Did Beastie tell Flowers what the deal was while I’d been napping? What about Roger?
I smiled up at Nix. “You got a yellow limo for me? How did you know that’s what I wanted?”
His eyes crinkled in his own smile. “If I’d gotten it, there would be smiley faces all over it.
Seems like Flowers brought the limo. Strange he knew we’d be here just now.
” He reached out like a snake striking, grabbing Beastie’s throat and squeezing, all without losing his gentle smile, without looking away from me.
“Maybe you could tell me what’s going on, Sugar. ”
I turned and started down the steps. “I did mention to Beastie that I wanted to do some painting with my daddy. You know, he’s a great artist. Ever since he saved my life, and I left him all purple and green, I’ve been worried about him. He looks good, don’t you think, Brute?”
He grunted, close behind me, so he must have released Beastie’s throat. “He’s clearly not dead,” he said pleasantly. “And the other one? Why is he here?”
“Roger? He’s really great with needles. If I hug my daddy, do you think I’ll be badly bruised?”
“You’re already badly bruised, Kitten. I can smell the blood beneath your skin.”
“Can you now? Such a sexy beast, smelling my bruises.” I was moving down the steps too slowly. Every step was so awkward, fumbling, unsteady.
“Why isn’t your aunt here?”
“She must have sent Roger in her place. She’s a workaholic, you know.” I stumbled and barely caught myself on the rail.
Nix growled. “I should have gone first.”
“Ladies first, Nix. Everyone knows that.”
“You’re scaring me, Kitten. You won’t let me carry you.
Two people I don’t like or trust are waiting at the bottom of these steps with a yellow limo.
What am I supposed to think? Was it my beast?
Do you think that I won’t let you go if you tell me that you don’t want me?
I know I hurt you. It kills me that you never got the sweet love-making you deserved because you had to rescue me from my madness.
You aren’t an object to me or my beast. Being the prize, it means more than you think.
It means the fight is won and we can go home.
You’re home to me. But if you want to leave, you don’t have to call for help.
I can set you up any way you like. Just don’t… ”
I jumped the last two steps, hitting Flowers, who caught me like he expected damsels to throw themselves at him at any moment. He swung me up in a bridal carry holding me while Nix continued down the steps with a predatory, languid movement that belied the intensity of his whispered words.
I stared at Nix while I tightened my arms around Flower’s neck. “Do you think that my father is going to kill me or hurt me in any way?”
Nix’s jaw clenched then relaxed as he shifted his attention to Flowers.
His eyes were hard chips of ice before he finally shook his head and exhaled.
“You don’t want me to see you suffer. How convenient that you found two heroes who don’t love you.
They will by the time you’re finished with them.
It’s your superpower, making people love you.
” He came closer to me, brushing my hair back from my eyes.
“I want to suffer with you. Those were the marriage vows.”
I bit my trembling lip and then smiled brightly. “Our deal was for six months. If I’m going to try to live longer than that, I can’t watch you suffer with me. You know what will help? Seeing you fight. I want you to win this season. Kill it for me while I watch.”
He stopped smiling. His eyes were cold, hard, like death.
“I can do that. But if there’s some comfort I can give you…
” He stared into my eyes and shook his head.
“You won’t take it. You want to suffer in silence, or at least you don’t want me to hear you screaming.
Dammit, Kitten! I would die for you. I would kill for you.
What makes you think I wouldn’t gladly suffer for you? ”
I patted his cheek while tears burned in my eyes. “I’d have to pretend to be happy. You’d have to pretend to be happy.” My smile got wobbly and weak while tears choked my throat. “I don’t have the energy to pretend. When I get to the end of the suffering, you can come and kiss me goodbye, okay?”
He turned his face, brushing my palm with his soft lips. “I’ll suffer even more without you.”
I choked a laugh and sniffed, shaking my head. “Too bad. These are the conditions of my treatment. But fight for me. And I’ll fight for you. Mostly unconscious, but we play the hand we’re dealt.”
“Yeah.” He kissed my forehead, my nose, my lips, damp kisses like he might be doing some manly misting over there. Yep. When he straightened up, his eyes were extra shiny. “Do you know what we need?”
I blinked at him. “A theme song?”
“Wedding rings. I’m going to finish carving that one I started. You should commission one from Trix. We’ll do a swap for this go-round. She’d like visiting you. She’s great when you’ve got broken limbs. She hits them to make sure they still hurt. She won’t baby you at all.”
I nodded. “That’s a good idea. Wedding bands. I’ll see how I feel about visitors.”
He stared at me while he chewed on his bottom lip. “I won’t be able to not visit you. So that’s going to happen.”
At the look in his eyes, I didn’t doubt it. I wanted to keep him close, but…I spoke quickly. “After every fight you win, you can come and show me your trophies and bruises.”
His eyes narrowed. “And races.”
“Obviously.”
“Can I ride with you to the hospital?”
I shook my head. “Nope. It’s a secret hospital. I’ll send word.”
Nix frowned at Flowers. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
“My wife died of this disease. I am very familiar with its treatment. You know my lab. I have my people working on it, have ever since I heard that Sunshine existed. Your mother stabbed me with a serum enhancer. I’ll probably need to fight from time to time. Can you make some time for me?”
Nix reeled back like he’d been punched then stared at Flowers with horror.
“She stabbed you with a serum enhancer. That’s what she meant to hit Sunshine with?
Something that would enhance the serum's effects, which in her case meant…” He stared at me, rage melting into sorrow.
“I am so glad you killed her, or I would. Slowly. Okay. You’d better get out of here before I steal you away. ”
“I love you,” I whispered as Flowers turned and carried me towards the limo. That’s when I really started crying. In the limo was a hospital bed fully prepped to receive someone with melting organs. The needles went in my limbs like clockwork. Roger was as good with needles as I remembered.
“If you can stop crying, you’ll be less dehydrated,” he said cheerfully, shoving a large needle into my wrist. Ow.
“And if you were less sadistic, you wouldn’t be stuck nursing an invalid,” I said with my meanest smile.
He grinned at me in earnest. “Sucks to be real. Feel free to stab me when you get really irritated. I don’t register pain as a negative thing.”
“Perfect. And if there’s something that will make me vomit up my organs, don’t hold back. I’m here to suffer.”
He laughed while Flowers looked out the window. When he glanced back the other way, his eyes were searching, not avoiding me, but concerned about enemy attack. Perfect. Flowers could be superhero patrol while Roger was on medic duty.
I relaxed in the limo bed and closed my eyes. This wasn’t the way I wanted to go, but I wasn’t going to take the easy way out. Like death is ever easy.
“Flowers, what’s that poem about going screaming into the night?” He would know all the poetry in the world.
He spoke low and slow. “Do not go gentle into that good night. Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they, Do not go gentle into that good night.”
His low, resonant voice continued while the pain gnawed and the drugs slowly took over.
“Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright, Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.”
Roger joined him while I faded out. “Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight, Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”