I realize that her inability to finish Gaire has nothing to do with that prick and everything to do with her.
“Thank you so much! I owe you, Nia,” Gaire is babbling. “You’re the best. I wanted you back because I missed you.” Such a lying bastard. There is such sincerity in his eyes. It makes me sick that he can lie with such a straight and honest face.
I know what I have to do. “I can’t believe it,” I spit, scowling at Nia. “You still have feelings for him. After everything I’ve done for you, you still want him? I can’t fucking believe it.”
“What—?” I see shock register on her face. “No,” she shakes her head, “that’s not—”
“Save it!” I tell her. “I can see it. You’re crying over him.” I point to Gaire, who looks like the cat who got the fucking cream.
“No! Rage I—” Nia splutters.
“Fucking save it!” I snarl again. “About that offer, I think I’m going to take you up on it. I want Warrick back. I can’t believe I chose her over my best friend.” I look over at Nia, who’s crying harder. “Without me, you are nothing.” I tell her. Then I look at Gaire. “You take her. Have her. Good fucking riddance.”
Once a snake, always a snake. “I’m glad you came to your senses, Rage.” Gaire grins.
I smile back and nod.
“I’ll help you find a bitch of your own.” Gaire winks at me. “Someone you can have your own fun with. Talking about fun…I believe you owe me a blow job, Nia.” That’s when he realizes that I’m still holding his arm. He can’t compel her while I have him in my grip. He can’t do anything. “Wait a minute.” He narrows his eyes. “You need to let me go.”
I don’t. Instead, I look over at Nia. She’s drying her eyes, which are filled with anger.
“You almost had me fooled there for a moment.” I’m not sure if she’s talking to Gaire or to me. “You pretended to be someone you’re not. You used me. All so that you could have a hellhound ready to obey your every order.”
“That’s not it at all,” Gaire backpedals.
Nia rolls her eyes. “I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth. I know in my heart that if I let you walk away today, you will hurt innocent people. You’ll find another hellhound to enslave. I can’t let that happen.”
“I won’t. I promise!” Gaire begs, doing yet another one-eighty.
“We both know that isn’t true,” Nia’s voice is pure ice.
His eyes harden. For a second or two, the mask comes down. “Your place is at my heel, Nia.”
“My place is at someone’s side as a partner. People who love each other don’t abuse the power they have over one another.”
“Fuck that, and fuck you!” Gaire snarls, spittle flies.
I watch her change into her hellhound form. Fur pushes out from her skin. Her nails turn onto claws. A tail appears, and her jaw elongates. The shirt is ripped to shreds as her body morphs. The whole thing takes a mere second or two. Her eyes are bright red. She’s bigger than she was in her Doberman form. Her fur looks thicker, wiry even. It’s standing up on her back. She snarls, her lips curling away from her teeth. Saliva drips.
Fuck me! She’s terrifying. Formidable doesn’t even begin to describe her. My own power starts buzzing all over again. I keep a lid on it. I tighten my grip on Gaire.
“No!” he screams. “She’s going to kill me. The crazy bitch is going to kill me. Hades will want answers. You can’t do this. You—”
Nia crouches and leaps. She growls viciously. I see her whip her head from side to side. When she pulls back, she has Gaire’s windpipe in her mouth. Blood is squirting from the gaping wound where his throat used to be. Gaire is trying to hold back the blood. It’s impossible.
Nia attacks again. Gaire’s head rolls onto the ground. His mouth is wide in a silent scream. His unseeing eyes are open, and even in death, there’s evil there.
“Did you know that your eyes are glowing red?” Death pipes up. He’s appeared out of nowhere in his customary fashion. “Your whole body is glowing.” Everything is still slower than normal. That wind is still whipping around me. The buzzing is all through my body. Like I’m holding a live wire. I look over at Death. I frown when I see it…a shadow. There is a dark shadow hanging over him. I frown.
Death walks towards me. The shadow stays with him. When I look closer, I gasp. The shadow has horns, red eyes, and a tail. It’s wrapped around Death.
What. The. Fuck.
I work on tamping down my power. Death is saying something, but I don’t hear him.
23
Nia
“How long will he sleep for?” Death asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m not sure why he passed out in the first place.”
“Using that much power will sap a person of energy. Rage was electric. It was like he was on fire, but without any flames.” Death sounds like he is in awe.
I’m in awe, too, because electric is the right description. You could feel the power coming off of him. You could see it surrounding him. Like he was in the eye of a hurricane. He looked terrifying and devastatingly beautiful…all at once. We defeated Gaire. He’s gone! I’m free.
I thought I would be happier.
Rage has been asleep for the last hour. We moved him to his bed, and then I got cleaned up on account of being bloody…all over. Death disappeared for ten minutes a little while ago, but other than that, he’s been at Rage’s side. Maybe I will breathe easier once Rage wakes up.
“I have a message for you.” Death looks up at me.
Dread wells. I had hoped this would be over once Gaire was dead, but I might have been wrong in that assumption. “A message from whom?” My stomach twists into knots.
“My father.” Death looks down at his lap.
“Oh, no!” I rub a hand over my face. “I’m in big trouble. I took out Hades’ Head Huntsman.” I push out a breath. I don’t want to hear what Death has to say. I want to bury my head in the sand. I want to run away. I also have this nagging suspicion about something else. It’s another thing I want to bury. I want to ask Death to take me home. I want to run away. I’m tired.
“Are you okay, Nia?” Death asks.
“I will be once Rage wakes up.” I look down at him sleeping. His lashes are so long they fan his cheeks. He looks at peace. I should leave him be, but I need to know. “Can you wake up for me, Rage?” I ask him.
Rage stirs. He frowns for a second and then is calm once again, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. “Wake up, Rage,” I say.
His eyes open instantly.
I smile at him. “How are you feeling?”
“Drained.” He yawns. “Like, if I slept for a year, it still wouldn’t be enough.”
“I’m not surprised,” Death chimes in. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ll leave the two of you.”
“Wait,” I tell him. “You have a message for me, and I have a question for you.” It’s been in the back of my mind. I need to know. It won’t change what I have to do, but…it could very well change my life…our life.