I win, John sneered, growling over his face, . . . chosen one.
My eyes fel two heartbeats after Wil iams, about to beg John and his assassins to turn to me next. I now understood why Juliet saw no other choice than to fal chest first into that dagger or why my grandma had died of natural causes not even a week after my grandpa. Love had become the essence of their lives as it had mine. When it was gone there was nothing left. Nothing but the wrath and hate and upheaval storming around me.
There was no need to beg though because John came at me before Wil iams chest fel in its final breath. He flung the chairs away, his executioners fol owing behind him. I knew the pain that would be coming, it was something Id never forget, but I craved it. There was no worse pain than what was pulsing through me having just watched Wil iam die before me. His body losing the warmth Id coveted so many times, right beside me.
Dont worry, dear, youre next, John said, spinning me around so he could look me in the eyes. His were drunk with power and victory. Im sure mine were somewhat defiant, but mostly dead.
I was done with John Townsend, done looking at him, worrying about him, having nightmares about him, done with anything having to do with the grinning form of soul cancer before me. His malignancy had spread, corrupting the body of Immortality. He may have won in this life, but I was certain there was a next one after this and whoever and whatever ruled it would slam the gates shut before the likes of John Townsend would be al owed passage.
It was there Id find Wil iam. It was there we could live the kind of peaceful existence together wed always longed for. Death was the answer al along.
Fate might have been fickle and maybe even favored the fortunate, but one thing I did know”it was cruel.
I twisted my head towards Wil iam, ready to die, ready to fol ow him as I had at every juncture. But what I saw when I looked over at him didnt make sense, it couldnt have been possible. His body was shifting, flickering tiles turning over, starting from his head and moving down his body. I was so uncertain of what I was seeing I narrowed my eyes, blinking them a few times to be sure.
Stel a, John, and his men were busying themselves around me, savoring the moment, oblivious to what was happening inches away from them.
The shifting ended at his feet, the limp body before me eliciting everything from unbridled joy to fresh remorse in me. My life eclipsed from dark to light in a space of time so short it was incalculable.
Norberto laid next to me, where I thought Wil iam had moments ago. Hed morphed into Wil iam in an attempt to avoid a concentration on the real one and hed paid with his life. A life I knew he was wil ing to give in Wil iams defense, but it didnt ease the sorrow I felt staring at his young gentle face.
You look at me, John commanded, dril ing his index finger into my cheek and forcing it back to him.
Seeing John so smug, so sure hed just annihilated Wil iam and, along with it, the Guardians hope, made me laugh. I may be dead in the next minute, but the triumph of knowing Wil iam was stil out there, alive and fighting, couldnt go unreleased.
See if youre stil laughing through this, John said, dril ing his finger deeper as four others prepared to join it.
Thats the last finger you wil lay on her ever again, a voice boomed through the bal room, coming from the giant doors Id come through.
John froze, his smugness vanishing as quickly as itd appeared. Both our eyes, along with every other set in the room flew towards the voice, where a man stood like a last beacon of hope, quivering in his rage.
He looked like hed spent a weeks stint in hel and had to shovel, climb, and claw his way through legions of demons to get out. His clothes were torn, tarnished, and, in some places, missing. The exposed parts of his skin were blotched with the less favorable colors of the rainbow and substances of war. Id been more right about him leading the battle from the front of the line than Id wanted to be and he had the scars, battle wounds, and stories to go with it.
Wil iam! I yel ed, releasing my relief and my fear and every other emotion that somersaulted after.
John glanced back at the body splayed over the table, his eyes widening as he took in Norberto. He stared for another moment before composing himself, a smile settling into its proper level of smug as he looked back to Wil iam. Oh, goodie. That was a rather pathetic kil . I was expecting much more fight from the great chosen one, he said. No matter, though. I real y cant imagine anything better than kil ing you twice in the same day. Looking around the room, John yel ed, Boys, take him down. Hes alone, looks like hel just spit him out, and his powers are not even a tenth of what youve heard rumored.
The army of men hesitated, looking amongst themselves to see who would go first.
Im stil in hel and, while my powers might not be what theyre rumored to be, I can assure you I dont need anything more supernatural than my abhorrence for you to take out every Inheritor in here, Wil iam growled, scanning the room. And Im not alone, he said, shaking his head. I brought a couple friends.
Two more bodies flew down from the mezzanine, taking their spots on either side of Wil iam.
Am I supposed to be intimidated? John said, looking Patrick and Paul over like they were the least impressive Immortals hed seen.
Wil iams mouth curled at the corners. Youre about to be.
As his mouth closed, I knew Wil iam was done with words. He was done with John, just like I was. Only one of these two would be leaving this room today and I was not going to watch Wil iam die again.
John must have seen the same thing in Wil iam I did because his expression turned serious, but when his eyes glanced back to me, a glint sparked in them. Let the games begin, he said, reaching a hand high in the air before slapping it down towards my face.
I felt the table shake before a gust of wind rushed over me as I was lifted from the table, away from Johns advancing palm and into the arms of the man I thought Id lost. Despite the speed of it and the bodies I could hear readying themselves, I let myself get lost in how his skin felt warmer against mine, how his arms seemed stronger, how his face was endlessly beautiful.
Flipping off the table and ending at the other end of the bal room, he turned back to the center of the room, glaring at John. Not. Another. Finger, he growled. And in case my face leaves anything to interpretation . . . Wil iam turned it straight on John, an expression that could have dropped me had I been on the receiving end. Im going to kil you today.
One of Johns eyebrows peaked. Was that a threat? he said in a tone that was a stage away from a yawn.
No, Wil iam answered. That was a promise.
Right then, Patrick and Paul rushed at the group around John, dodging through and over the dozens of shock-faced men dotted around the room.
Wil iam set me down, staring into my eyes as he kneeled beside me. Im pledging myself to you tonight, with or without a Unity ceremony. He smiled before he fixed his mouth to mine. So please make it a point to stay alive.
I wil if you wil , I repeated, breathless.
Deal, he said, the softness of his face out of place on the war torn Wil iam hovering beside me. Ive got to finish a job real quick. He winked, popping up to face the oncoming flood of Johns men. Do me a favor and let me take care of this, okay? he asked, charging into the avalanche of men before I could answer, which was good because I was not going to huddle in a corner while the three men I cared about most in the world were outnumbered more than twenty to one.
Especial y when I was a touch away from doling out a death sentence to every last one of these men intent on ending my meaning in life. It was zapping across my skin before I stood up and it was at ful power by the time the first man tried ringing his hands around my neck from behind.
Before his fingers had circled around, he fel to the ground. Death was a hard thing to be responsible for, harder in most instances than facing your own, but there was no other option at this crossroads. The time for sitting around a Council table and coming to a peaceful agreement had ended the day John Townsend rose to power. We were neck deep in the realm of black and white, no more shades of gray to confuse us. It was their lives or ours and in this absolute, death became an easy choice.
Two more men leapt at me, knocking me to the ground, but their fight was over as quickly as itd begun. I rol ed their massive bulk to the side, flipping off my back to a stand. There were four clusters of men scattered through the room. Three with arms moving like pistons which I assumed Paul, Patrick, and Wil iam were at the center of and one stil grouped around the table looking like scared children my direction.
Theyd seen me end three lives in under three seconds and had been stupid enough not to run.
However, I did.
Right in their direction, towards the men who had accompanied John with attempting to kil Wil iam and succeeding in kil ing Norberto. Mercy was a five-letter word they were unfamiliar with and I wasnt about to change that for them in their last few moments of life.
Charging their way, I sprung off the floor, performing head over foot aerobatics in the air until I landed in the center of their huddled circle. Al I had to do was open my arms and spin, like a bal erina of death. Their bodies crumbled to the floor, faces of shock now frozen with death.
I didnt spare a moment of mourning, there wasnt enough time or desire. Scanning the room, I tried to make out what clump of men contained Wil iam, but I was distracted by the light stalking of footsteps coming up behind me. It seemed impossible I was able to make out this faintest of noises in the earthquake of racket, but I turned right as she launched at me.
I ducked as Stel a flew over me, her hands affixing around air as she crashed to the floor. I lunged towards her, knowing whoever was the first of us to make contact with the other would win the battle of gifts. Although temporary handicapping of a gift wasnt as final as my gift. Or as deadly.
I threw myself down at her, fingers stretched to their capacity. She rol ed to the side, just missing the pinky of my left hand grazing her cheek.
There was so much rage shooting through me right now, it wouldnt have taken more than the smal est of caresses to take her out and the fear in her eyes told me it was as obvious to her as it was to me.
She leapt up, spinning towards me, ready to pounce. It was Stel a and me, cat fighting it to the end. I couldnt resist.
Here kitty, kitty, I mewed, wagging my finger at her.
She actual y hissed her reply, hesitating long enough for me to leap to a stand.
No need to let our manners get away with us, I said, as we began dancing around each other, primed for attack or to ward it off. You had to have been expecting this somewhere along the way. You know what they say. Karma is a . . . wel , for lack of a better word, karma is a Stel a, I said, a streak of black hair and copper skin catching my attention. I chanced the longest look I could, finding Wil iam and John dodging and taking each others strikes.
Okay, this whole dancing around Stel a thing needed to end right now.
And overrated is a Bryn, she hissed back, hands clawed at the ready as she took advantage of my distraction. It was almost easy and I knew I owed that al to Patrick, having the upper hand on Stel a, because as I jumped the space it took to clear her stiletto-ed height as she charged at me, it was obvious how my strength training had been to hers what fire is to paper. I flipped midair, landing on top of her shoulders. Her scream froze as I laced my fingers through her hair, her body losing its rigidity before it tumbled to the floor.