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“Fine. Just remember you may be immortal, but your friends, family, and those who look up to you,” she clicked her tongue, “aren’t. So how many do you want to lose because you won’t let me do what I need to?”
The pieces clicked together in my head, and a dark picture formed.
“You mean to slaughter all those responsible for her death?”
That was her plan? I remembered the cry, the scream when her sister died. It had been the center of my nightmares for weeks. I could still feel the pain of my body flying through walls, windows, and metal from the force of it. This wasn’t her. This emotionless empty shell was not my Dianna.
“This isn’t you, Dianna. No matter what, you’d never speak to me this way. Threaten me.”
She laughed and let go. “You really take this whole hero thing to heart, huh? Is this the part where you tell me you know the real me? Please, I’ll barf my entire lunch up.”
I rubbed at my throat, easing the slight ache, and pushed to my feet in one smooth motion. The desk beneath me groaned, the crack between us growing.
“I looked for her, for Gabby, and searched for you the second you left.”
Dianna paused, her false smile dropping, something festering behind her eyes. Whatever pseudo persona she wore fractured at my words. I saw the flicker of life behind those crimson eyes.
“I couldn’t find her, but I tried. I assumed you had, but your face tells me otherwise.”
She said nothing and only stared at me. So I reached out, clasping her hands in mine. Her gaze fell, looking at them, but she didn’t move, didn’t flinch from me as she had before.
“I know you’re in pain, Dianna. No matter what you say or throw at me, I know where this comes from. I’ve been there. You also know that. You are hurting and alone, and I… just let me help you. Please. This isn’t you.”
Her eyes snapped up, our gazes clashing as she ripped her hands from mine. I knew what I’d said had hit a nerve that rattled her in some form.
“It is now.”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t believe you and never will. You showed me who you were months ago. I remember every second of every day. You helped me and cared for me when you didn’t have to. You risked your life for everyone. I may wear armor to war, but this is your version. You’re locking everything away to protect yourself, suppressing it, but I know without a doubt that my Dianna is still in there.”
The door opened. “I managed to address your recent concern…” Gregory’s words died as he glanced at me and then at Dianna.
One second, that was all it took. Dianna reached behind me, swiped a small object off the desk, and tossed it through the air. It flew at lightning speed, and I heard the sound as it hit its mark. My heart clenched as a thud followed, and Gregory hit the floor face-first with the pen sticking through the back of his skull. The blue light emerged from his body and hovered around him for a second before shooting through the ceiling.
“Believe me now?”
I said nothing. How could I? I’d barely processed the last few minutes, and now Dianna had slaughtered a celestial in front of me as if it meant nothing.
“There’s one dead body. You get in my way, and I have no problem adding another. I will have my vengeance. They knew the price of touching her, and if you get in my way, you will too. Turn a blind eye, Samkiel. This isn’t about you.”
An alarm blared, the power flicked off, and a swirl of silver beams lit up the area by the door. Smoke filtered into the room, laced with a chemical to make Otherworld creatures quake. It was a new defense mechanism Vincent had installed after her last rampage through the guild, but it was already too late.
Dianna glanced toward the flickering lights, then back to me. “When I burn this world to embers, and you paint me as the villain, remember, I really did try to be good… once.”
Her form shifted, the dark mist engulfing her until I was alone in the room.
And the simple truth was I was terrified on so many levels I didn’t know where to start.
Three
Camilla
“Camilla. We must gather what we have and flee. The island is not safe anymore.”
I tapped my finger on my glass. The soft glow of the overhead light illuminated Quincy and the other members of the coven in the doorway. All were packed and ready to leave, their bags littering the floor around them. I felt her eyes on me, the satchel she had slung across her chest full of the small skulls she collected. “Nowhere is safe, Quincy. Not anymore.”
“The Hand has already secured every other location, but they don’t know about the hideout off the coast. I mean, where else do we go?”
A soft chuckle left my lips. “Iassulyn probably.” Quincy approached the table, soft blonde curls framing her face. “Leave, take the rest of them. It won’t matter where you go. She won’t come for you.”
