Page 86 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

“You do bring me the most interesting situations, Merle,” I murmur in appreciation.

Strike. Another white light punching down, I attack, like an artist painting a portrait with his pain.

He’s off centre, and a punch to the rib sends him stumbling to the right.

Boom, God is laughing. He knows what I’m about to do. I giggle, too.

This foolish beta looks up, blood dripping from his face, stunned. I don’t think he expected me to fight back, but Father trained me to be the best. And violence is all I know. It’s how I speak.

“Send my best to the Devil,” I bite my bottom lip and kick him hard in the chest.

He flies out over space, his arms windmilling, his scream is sharp and short and covered by another boom that makes my ears ache.

“Right, who’s next?” I shout to the world.

An alpha is standing in the tree line watching me in horror. I shrug my shoulders and try to look as cute and helpless as possible. Maybe I can entice him to play with me.

It’s hard because I feel so fucking alive. So free. It’s like stretching properly for the first time in hours. I don’t want to pretend.

Merle’s fear is gone, fading out of the body, my anger’s a blanket that has heated my bloodstream. I lift my head, almost tasting the lightning in the air.

Another scent hits me. Roses and sandalwood. It throws me off, almost pushing me out of my dance.

He’s here!

Excitement turns my body molten.It’s him, finally. Where?I’m distracted by him, by the need to find him, and that’s why I’m slow to react to the alpha that comes running at me, a knife glinting in his hand.

Aaron Roseland bursts out of nowhere, cutting him off. He spins, shoving the alpha back and away from me. Saving me again.

Swoon.

All the feelings that we’ve buried, the ones we’ve held onto long into the night and every night since, the feelings that kept us going. The promises. It all returns.

And the day it all collapsed.

I’m back in that moment, watching him get stabbed.

“Roseland!” I scream, echoing the memory.

I scream with everything in me. His name tearing from me, if my voice alone could will him to safety, if my wish alone could save him, it would be done.

It’s a memory, but not mine. It doesn’t belong to me, but we all know it.

It’s now. It’s the present and past colliding.

I see the blade sinking into him; I see my future turn to ashes. My past collapses.

“ROSELAND!” I scream again, the agony of seeing my scent match die again in front of me tearing my mind apart.

Merle shrieks and dives deeper, while the rest of us shore up our defenses.

“He’s alive!” I snarl. “Look. Alive. Stop it!”

My inner world steadies. I steady.

He falls back, hitting the rock, lying still in the cold rain, his body completely lifeless. In my mind, I see the blood pooling, spreading. No, wait, that wasn’t real. I never saw that, he sent me away.

No!