Page 98 of Death of a Mortal

“You’re gonna be okay, little lamb, just keep holding on.” I lifted my hand from her wound that was still bleeding rapidly and knew in that moment that there was nothing I could do. Her lips had already gone pale, and her shaking hand stilled.

She twitched once, twice, then stopped moving completely, her chest no longer rising and falling, eyes no longer blinking. Her golden-blonde hair was forever stained red.

I was back in the dark purgatory of the banshee’s trial, except this time, there would be no coming back to a reality where all was right. All was wrong in the here and now, and it always would be from here on out. This would be the death of me.

I wasn’t even sure my heart was beating. I was in shock, too much to move or speak or do anything but stay here and hold her hand.

The king turned to me with a wicked smile as I clung to the lifeless body of the only person in this world that I loved.

He yelled something to the rest of the room that I never heard. As I watched him walk toward the first mortal in line, I felt my heartliterallybreak. This wasn’t like the feeling when the prince betrayed me or when Caedryn captured Nella, not even like finding out my mother was dead. This break was physical and visceral. Emotional devastation and pain turned tangible like my heart had actually exploded in my chest and released the beast that had been caged there for so long.

Like my mortal heart had died with Nella, replaced by a boiling ball of rage.

My tears stopped as I stood, taking one more look at my precious Nella before…

“What the…?” I heard the guard closest to me say, making Caedryn turn and face me.

Whatever was happening to me on the inside was clearly visible outwardly, as both had fear written all over their faces.

Suddenly, it felt like my veins were on fire, like the fiery thing in my chest was spreading through my whole body. It was excruciating. I cried out, writhing, feeling like I was drowning in flames. Maybe I was. Maybe I was dying by the king’s fire. Or maybe I had already died and was descending into hell.

The world around me warped, color bleeding out as the endless darkness inside me opened its eyes.

“Guards, cuff her! Now!” Caedryn was scared, and the only thing I felt now was satisfaction at his fear, all anguish set aside.

My vision, tinted red with rage, found the queen. She looked shocked.

With one last look at Nella’s lifeless body, the anger took control, and darkness erupted from me in long, smoky tendrils. I knew the incomprehensible sadness was there, but the dark thing inside me only felt rage.

The largest of my fiery tendrils of darkness lashed out at the guard nearest me, wrapping him around the middle and squeezing. Burning. And eventually splitting him in two, each half falling to the ground with a smoking thud and the smell of burned flesh.

Interesting.

“Gods!” I heard the queen gasp.

This…power, it feltgood. Like a heady, drunken rush of lust and satisfaction. I let the feeling consume me, fill the empty void with desire and vengeance.

Two smaller tendrils reached for the next closest fae—the prince and the ambassador. I heard their cries of shock as the tendrils foundeach of them, grasping their wrists and pulling them closer to me. The fear in their eyes just incited me further, and I could smell it. Just like Zareth had said he could smell mine.

That particular recollection made me relish his scream when the darkness surrounding his wrist burned straight through muscle and bone and separated the hand from his arm. He dropped to his knees, screaming, cradling the charred stump as his severed hand hit the floor.

I wanted to take my time with him and the prince, to punish them and bask in their screams.

“What the hell are you?!” Varyn’s voice cracked, wide eyes trained on mine.

I had his full attention now. And he was oh so terrified.

Good.

Before I could sever his hand, too, a cold metal cuff closed around my wrist, immediately quieting the beast inside and evaporating the darkness that had spread from my body.

I collapsed to the floor.

A shrieking crow squawked.

Then I remembered nothing else for days.

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