26. Chapter Twenty-Six
Ican't do this.
I can't beat him. And he knows it…that's why he's been taunting me. Tossing my body around until I'm certain my limbs are barely hanging on. I've refused to look at my bonds, though I now regret it. I should have spent this time taking in every feature; each characteristic that makes them my perfect matches.
But, no. Instead, I keep throwing myself at Andras, hoping that this next advance will be the one that flips the odds.
I have managed to get several good hits in, sending him to his knees, though he has had six centuries to prepare for this exact scenario. It sickens me to admit that he used his time well and it's paying off for him.
"You are boring me, Anellah. We cannot have been in here for more that two hours, and yet you can barely lift your head." Does he sound worried?
I let my neck go, rolling my eyes to his stupid, smirking face. "Says the asshole who relaxed while the rest of us fought demons for endless hours." He laughs, the sound wet and grating. It brings me an indescribable pleasure to see blood seeping out of the many wounds I gave him. Wounds that, just like me, he cannot heal.
He crouches, tilting his head in an eerily animalistic way. Crimson teeth spread along his face when he sees my lip curling in his direction. His icy eyes watch me for a few moments before he nods, turning his gaze to my males and Xamira.
"All right, I've had my fun." He stands, and it takes every ounce of restraint I have to not cringe as he walks toward me. "You may think I am evil—that I do not care about our realm, or those living in it. You're wrong." I can't help but cackle, regretting the movement when I choke on blood and dirt.
Once I spit it out and recover enough to meet his eyes again, it's only then that I truly realize there's no way out. Everyone I love is going to die today. Because of me.
That awareness hits me hard, slamming itself through my chest, taking with it the last bit of hope I held to save Cas, Em, and Xamira. My lungs wheeze as I try to breathe through the straw that has lodged in my throat.
"It's true, but you may think what you want. I will still be generous, however, and end your life in the manner of your choosing." My brows shoot up, and I have the sudden urge to smack his face until his skull is a flat piece of flesh.
"The manner of my choosing." It's not a question, but Andras does not seem to notice.
"Yes," he says confidently, shifting on his feet. "How would you like to die, Nell?"
"I can pick any way to die?"
"Of course. I am not a monster. You deserve that much." If he were closer to my level, I'd spit my retort in his face.
"Okay…" I drawl, feigning thoughtfulness. Sighing with a genuine smile on my face, I turn my gaze toward him again. "I know what I want."
"Well?" Pushy fucking dick.
"I'd like to die knowing that I killed your pathetic ass first." I burst out laughing when he clenches his fists, a vein in his forehead becoming extremely prominent.
"I tried to be nice. Remember that." My reflexes prove too slow when he reaches down, wrapping a large hand around my throat and lifting me from the grass. I instinctively grab his wrist and attempt to dislodge his grip, panic creeping into my bones when my efforts are completely useless.
Every bit of energy I still have focuses on holding myself up high enough that I can still breathe. I don't realize we're moving until I'm being slammed against the magic's wall, a searing pain shooting through the back of my head. I struggle for air as he presses deeply into my airway.
I immediately see why he chose this part of the prison when my eyes connect easily with those of my three bonds. This is abhorrent…even for Andras.
Tears cascade down my cracking cheeks. My loves. The only reasons I am still alive—the only reasons I want to stay alive. The last thing they deserve is to watch the life leave my eyes. Emrys sobs, his entire body slack in the magic's hold. Casmir's lips tremble rapidly; my sweet prince, still trying to remain strong for the rest of us. Even in our last moments.
And Xamira. Gods, I nearly vomit when my eyes find hers. I focus on the large drop of liquid that crests her lids, soaking through the fur below. She blinks slowly, nodding once. So many words spoken with just that small movement. I gasp, my body threatening to convulse as the edges of my vision falter.
I look at each of them once more and…
No. No, I cannot let them die. It is not their time; not my time.
With a strength I know is not mine, I release Andras's flexed wrist and shove my thumbs deeply into his eyes. He growls, immediately letting my throat go and stumbling backward, giving me some time to ingest sweet, delicious air. The moment barely lasts when he charges me, pure distaste flickering over his features. I let him reach me, my vision going black when his shoulder meets my abdomen. I wrap my limbs around him tightly and do not think twice as I reach my head forward to bite down on his left ear. I show no mercy, tearing through the flesh as if it were my favorite snack. His answering scream fuels my weakening body, and I happily bathe in the waves of blood that spew out of the gaping hole in his head.
Spitting his severed ear out, I attempt to grab anything I can to stop his relentless hits against my ribs. Groans, grunts, lost breath, and cracking bones are the only sounds within these walls, though I ignore their stomach-curdling effects and focus every bit of attention on my opponent.
One of us has to die, and it will not be me.
Andras dives with intention, ramming my spine against the ground while I'm forced to cushion both of our weights. The moment he lifts his head, I dislodge my arms and throw my elbow to his jaw. He snarls, striking my face hard. Bile rises in my throat, my head spinning faster than anything should physically be allowed to.
"Goodbye, Anellah," Andras mutters, wrapping his hands around my skull and squeezing. The pressure in my head instantly becomes unbearable, and my hands frantically reach for anything to help. I'm panicking. He's about to crush my brain; I have little time to think and cannot waste it on anxiety.
I take a quick breath and scream as I fight through the pain, pushing him back enough to ram my fist into his nose. He stumbles backward, groaning at the flattened piece of flesh on his face. With a speed I didn't know I possessed, I curl up, ripping my necklace off with a sharp tug, and use my other hand to grab his throat. He grunts as I shove him to his back, forcing him to choke on his own blood for a change. I straddle his hips—something I never thought I'd be glad to do—and bend down until my lips graze his ear. He will hear every word.
"It's over, my sweet. Just remember…you did this to yourself." I sit back just enough to look him in those cold, icy eyes.
I want him to know it was me that took his life. I want him to feel the pain and fear that he forced upon me over the last twenty-five years.
I want him to realize that my face will be the final thing he sees before his regime finally comes to an end.
He sputters, coughing blood in my direction. I don't feel the warm liquid hit my face. No. I'm solely focused on the piece of obsidian Casmir bought for me so long ago. I angle it just over his heart, pressing in so fucking slowly.
I will savor this moment.
He screams, the gurgling noise making me smile. I turn the stone, rejoicing in the raw pain that shudders through his body as the poison spreads. I'm mesmerized as his veins are replaced with black sludge, mapping every depraved inch of his skin. I wait until the poison creeps up his cheeks, ready to take from me what I've been owed for decades. He must feel the seconds counting down because he looks me in the eye with such longing that I almost believe he did love me at one time.
Good. That makes this even more satisfying.
"You want to be a god so bad, Andras? Then fucking die like one."
Just as the poison reaches his eyes, I shove the stone into his rotten chest, feeling the moment it pierces his heart. I don't dare blink as his jaw drops open, eyelids fluttering when he attempts to look at anything but me. His body trembles—a last-ditch attempt to prevent the toxin from completely taking control.
It's over too quickly as he goes limp beneath me. I watch closely as the life leaves his eyes, storing the image in a place where I will never lose it. If someone else were to fuck with my memories, this is one they couldn't touch. I will relive this moment over and over, and remember this feeling of pure relief whenever I need to stave off the panic.
There's only three things in all the realms that could beat this feeling. And they're all alive. Safe.
As the final threads of life push out of Andras's cooling body, I feel when the magic of the spell declares a winner, claiming the lives of every being who is loyal to the dead god. I sit back and feast on the sight of thousands of bodies dropping in unison, their souls ripping out of them as payment to the magic.
"Thank you." I'm not sure if I'm thanking the Earth, the spell, or even Andras for casting it…but it doesn't fucking matter.
It's over.
My eyes roam the landscape when the walls surrounding me dissolve with a pop, and the near-deafening noise of the outside world greets my ears. I go still when I spot Calix's head, still watching me with those familiar blue eyes. They're clouded over now, but it still feels like my best friend was there for me, sending me the strength I so badly needed.
I hear my name being called in different directions, but pay them no mind. I'm so fucking tired. The exhaustion pulls at my consciousness, sending the world around me spinning into a black abyss.