Page 52 of Snake Eyes & Bad Luck

Her stomach sank and she stopped moving. “He what?”

“Wanna know why I hate ya? Why I’m glad, that even as I’m cookin’ alive I’m glad to at least watch you go up in flames first?” He beamed.

“Oh, please, regale me with it all! Please!” She laughed in a mocking fashion. “Please tell me it’s because I’m the kid of a Paladin, huh? Bet it really grinds your gears that I was raised by some mean ole’ Paladin, and yet I got stuck in the mud same as you?”

“But ya didn’t! Did ya? Nah, Cottonmouth took one look at ya and saw the moon and the stars! I thought he just wanted some ass, and he’d throw you to the mud once he’d had a taste and used you up. But no…he actually fuckin’ likes you.” The entire time he accused her with his words, his eyes bore holes into her.

“Shut up,” she demanded.

“And worst of all, this son of a bitch was gonna give you an out! Asked me, the night before, said ‘Grahm, when the others are breaking into the vault, knock the warlock out and put her on a one-way trip to Eshorion.’ And that got me thinkin’, why the fuck you’d be goin’ there if we were robbin’ the vault here? Then I realized…”

Oh…fuck. It was a trap. Callum made a trap for all of them…except for her.

“He was kicking me out,” she breathed. Callum wanted to drive her away. He was throwing her back to her old life? But then why fake his own death? Because if I love him, I’ll never give up on him.

Because he knows me too well…and I would never give up on him.

“Yeah, and listen, no offense, but why should you get away unharmed when I was there under Mad Madeline? I was the one who looked out while he picked a fight with the biggest, baddest outlaw there was? And when he took charge of the crew, driving her just as batshit sister out to the other side of the swamp, what did I get? Fucker didn’t even thank me. Never does. Never will. So, I’m glad he’s dead. And I’m glad you’re gonna burn. Cause then none of us get out. All that palm grease, all that dick you took from him? Didn’t fuckin’ matter, now did it?”

Avelina’s gaze steadily rose from the decoy tail to Grahm. He seethed in his seat. All teeth and scales and hurt. Grahm was told to hand deliver her to safety and couldn’t stand to think he would never get the same treatment. Fury that licked up her spine. He’s lucky my hands are bound. He’s lucky I can’t cast right now.. She wanted to tear his face off. The thought of him writhing as she melted his face off was enough to get her high.

Okay…maybe Catalysta had a point. Avelina did have teeth. Her and Tala were two side of the same festering anger. Only Avie was tired of pulling her punches. Grahm is real lucky I can’t get my hands on him. Rotten, hateful prick.

Because he saw her ‘getting out’ as the end goal, and once upon a time it had been Then she fell in love with Callum and her goals changed. She didn’t want to be rid of him, just the swamp. Just my shackles. She wanted to see the world; taste the air in a place she’d never been. And she wanted to do all of that with Callum.

Thump.

The sound echoed in the temple, shaking all of them out of it. All three craned their heads to the door. Day light was not too far off, so time was of the essence. Avelina yanked at her chains once, trying to find a weak spot in their construction. Her fingers helplessly plucked at the metal chains. Something slid down the other side of the door and dropped heavily to the floor. It was followed by another thud.

Avelina tried again, convinced that it was a Paladin on the other side, dragging more of the crew inside to burn alive with their warlock. Her heart raced in her chest. The doors slid open and two Paladins fell back. Their helmets clattered against the floor.

“No,” Grahm exhaled in exasperation.

“I’ll be damned,” Dan laughed.

Avelina couldn’t form words as Callum slithered inside. He wiped blood off his brow with the back of his sleeve. A beautiful man backlit by the hint of sunlight touching the horizon. Her heart sank into her turbulent stomach. It was like all her insides were floating pieces of a broken-up ship on an angry sea. Desperation swirled with little mercy in her blood. But she couldn’t look away from her rogue slinking forward. He dragged his kills all the way to the pyre. Grahm snarled, tossing himself left and right in his chains, but Dan sat perfectly still. He looked genuinely impressed.

Callum dumped the Paladins on their stacked wood before fishing a key from his pockets. “Apologies, little viper. It took some time and a few Paladins to find the keys.”

“You came back for me,” she breathed.

“Of course,” he scoffed, leaning over her to unlock her right wrist from the pillar. She dropped onto the planks and fell into his chest with little control of her body. Callum hugged her with one arm while the other worked her left cuff. “I told ya, darlin’. Yer mine.”

“You liar!” she cried into his chest, curling her fingers in his shirt. As soon as he eased her off the pyre, those trembling hands turned into fists. One after the other, she pounded her balled hands ribs. Relief and despair made the churning ocean within her even more wild. Something rose up in her throat and the tears refused to stop. “You fucking liar! You—”

“Little viper,” he purred in her ear, easing her further away from the pillar. “I know yer pissed. But right now we gotta scoot.”

“What!” she barked alongside Grahm. Dan sat there, completely desensitized by his situation.

Callum didn’t answer the outlaw on the pew with words. He struck so fast, she didn’t see him move his arm. She only realized he stabbed Grahm in the neck when his arm fell away and the Drakonis was loudly gulping down air. Callum glanced at Dan, arching a brow. “You got somethin’ you wanna get off yer chest?”

“Nah, we’re even. You tried to get me killed. I tried to get you killed. Fair’s fair, Cottonmouth. Yer king of the castle now.” Dan shrugged, settling in his pew.

“No, I ain’t. I wasn’t here to kill off all of y’all. I was here to get myself out.” Callum and Dan exchanged a look that was strange. A whole conversation passed between them that Avelina couldn’t hear.

Dan snorted, nodding with approval. “That’s what the tail’s for. They’ll think ya burned up to a crisp. Good trick. Cottonmouth, always got a card up his sleeve.”

Avelina watched Callum, studying his face. The outlaw accepted this outcome for his competitor. But she didn’t.