Page 22 of Death of a Mortal

I could only stare at her beautiful, broken face, illuminated by that horrid lightning. At her bound and twisted body as it went still. Her glossed-over eyes dimmed, wrenching a bloodcurdling scream from my throat.

She was dead. I had watched her die alone, powerless, and unprotected. Whether this was real no longer mattered. Some part of me knew, deep down, thiscouldn’tbe real, but I was so consumed by the grief that I couldn’t hold on to that thought. It felt real and hurt as if it were real. Maybe this was what my mind believed I deserved.

Or maybe this was what would come to pass. I knew I hadn’t protected her like I should have since we left home.

I closed my eyes and cried.

And cried. And cried.

After what could have been hours, days even, I opened my eyes to find the scene before me still there. As if paused and waiting for me to return my attention.

Aemilia reached for Fadric’s face. He wound his hands around her waist and leaned in as if he was going to…

“No, Fadric. Fadric!” I yelled from the ground as he planted a long kiss on my half sister’s lips.

I felt my heart drop further, past my stomach, and to the ground. He pulled away from Aemilia to look at Cassius, who smiled. He then turned his attention back to Aemilia, a devilish look spreading across his face.

Another smoke shape appeared beside them. A bed took form as Fadric backed Aemilia to the mattress and laid her down. I knew where this was going, and I knew it would be another stab to my broken heart.

I stared, transfixed, as if something was forcing my eyes to stay open and focused on the scene I knew would unfold. From the bottom of my vision, I could still make out Nella’s lifeless body on the ground in front of me.

Hell. Purgatory. Eternal damnation. That must be where I was.

Fadric hiked Aemilia’s dress up and hooked one of her legs around his waist as his affection turned hungry and desperate. The same way he’d done with me behind the bookshop.

I knew I hadn’t loved him, but he’d said he loved me—the only one who had other than Nella.

It tore at my battered soul, the way he grabbed at the straps of her dress, tearing them away and exposing her breasts. He kissed her deeply, the bruising kind of way. She moaned when he bit down on her lower lip, breathing his name, and I finally lost it. The tears on my face had dried, and my heart became full of nothing but hatred for this girl I was unfortunate enough to share even an ounce of blood with.

I knelt, still rooted to the spot in front of one dead sister and abed where my boyfriend was about to fuck my other sister while my dad looked on like he was the happiest man in the world. This was definitely eternal damnation.

It was then that Fadric opened the front of his pants and released his full, hard length. Even Fadric’s hand clamped around Aemilia’s delicate throat didn’t stifle the cry of pleasure she released when he pushed inside her. I watched as he thrust into her, over and over, kissing down her jaw and neck.

I watched on, unable to look away as he made love to her. The boy I’d wanted to love and the sister who had nearly killed me. Every sigh and scream chiseled away another piece of my heart. He’d given me everything I allowed, and I’d given him everything I could. And now I watched as he gave my sister everything she begged for.

Fadric.MyFadric.

I was frozen—no tears, no yelling, just frozen. And so very broken.

This was it. I knew it now. The truth. My truth—I was powerless. I couldn’t protect the only person I truly loved and couldn’t keep the one man I’d wanted to love me but that I couldn’t love in return. Maybe that was the reality of it. That I didn’t know love at all, how to give it or feel it or accept it. I was the girl that no one stayed for and no one was safe with, destined to be alone.

I slumped over on my knees, defeated. The chasm in my chest where my heart should be was so very conflicted with emptiness and excruciating pain. Loss.

I sat there for who knew how long, wallowing in my despair. Cassius, Aemilia, and Fadric had all stopped moving, all their judging, unblinking eyes trained on me. Cassius with his hands in his pockets, smiling. Aemilia, bare skin exposed and body spent, sprawled out on her stomach beside Fadric. Fadric, on his side next to her, curls tousled and hand resting on her back.

And Nella… My sweet little lamb. The life had gone from her eyes and skin, but the blood from her nose still dripped, her singed hair still smoking. The crackle from Aemilia’s lightning occasionally snapped.

Drip, drip. Crackle. A song that carved itself into my eardrums, every beat a stab to my heart.

Movement to my right caught my attention, and I turned to see another figure form. I guess my torture wasn’t over. I had discovered my truth, so this must be the memory taking form.

A woman materialized, as beautiful as she always was in my mind. She had the same deep-green eyes as mine, although they glowed in this otherworldly place. Her hair flowed curly like mine did, but longer and darker, and far more perfect. She even had the same full cheekbones as mine. Only our noses were different. I didn’t know what she’d actually looked like, but I knew in my shattered and empty heart that this was my mother. Maybe this was still my mind creating her image, but if this was an actual memory the banshee was extracting then maybe this was really what she looked like.

She glanced at me for a moment, and her eyes seemed to soften. I hoped she would bring comfort and love and ease this unending ache. That this memory would give me some answers on whether she loved me, why she left me.

I stood with aching knees, taking a step toward her, but she turned her eyes from me to Cassius. When their eyes met, he placed a hand on her swollen lower belly, and they both looked at that spot—the spot where a woman’s womb sat.

Their faces both turned to grimaces as my mother said, “This baby is a blemish, a stain on our perfect life. I do not want it, Cassius. Make it go away. Give me the potion that will kill it in my womb and end its life before it can begin.”