from behind his back. I detect a flicker of silver, like a blade catching in the light, and I try to reach behind my own back, for my own knife.
My knee springs upward and slams straight into the guy’s balls with more force than I know I’m capable of. Human or not, Alton still crumples to his knees, his face contorted in pain. Seconds later, I’m diving for him, cupping his face in-between my hands. Without even thinking, I dip down and seal my lips to his, swiftly breathing in his life. I taste the deaths of the girl’s he’s killed. I can feel the power residing inside him, the power he gets from death. I feel this twisted urge to kill him—kill other people. It’s flowing off him and coursing through me, along with the potent death omen. Blood. People covering the street. So much blood.
He groans as I jerk back with the faint taste of him on my tongue. My lips part in shock as I feel his life burning venomously through me. I start to back away, withdrawing the knife, very aware that I’m the one who took it out. I want to kill him. Hurt him. Bleed him out until he’s screaming for mercy.
What’s happening to me?
Anger burns in Alton’s eyes as he glares at me. “You’re going to pay for that.”
“Don’t count on it.” I lunge forward and strike the blade of the knife across his cheek, drawing a trail of blood.
He growls as someone slams into me and I fall to the ground, flat on my stomach, dropping my knife. Black capes swish around me as my head smacks against the floor. My ears ring while I see feathers floating everywhere. Just like in the alley.
I push myself up, wanting to charge each one of them and cause them incredible amounts of misery and pain, but I’m pulled back down to the ground by the power of Cameron. Then, suddenly, the capes shift into shadows that dance and twirl around me, chilling the air. When there’s a loud bang, I cover my head, feeling the fire on my back again; sweltering heat, melting my skin. It feels as if my flesh is tearing open and suddenly, there’s a bursting of the pressure that has built. Black feathers rain all around me and then everything goes silent.
Chapter 7
In the corner
Lives a girl
Balled up
Lonely
Sullen
Locked away
By herself
She gave up
Curling in
Like a petal
Dying
Wilting
Edges browning
Cracking
So easy
The petal fell
Scattered like dust
Across
The charred ground
Covered with Cinders
Waiting to burn out.
***
“Ember, open your eyes,” Cameron whispers, his voice hued with panic. “Come on, fight it.”
My skin sears, liquid fire pulsating through my veins. I need something; I need deaths. Souls. I need blood on my hands. I need the fire on my back to subside. I need to stop melting.
“Goddammit, princess.” Cameron sounds worried, but I can’t see him. I can’t see anything; I can only feel the aching need to feel death on my lips again.
“I need it,” I whisper. “Death… I need it.”
Cameron mutters under his breath and then he’s surrounding me, touching me, feeling me with his hands. I bask in it, wanting to press my lips against his and steal the breath from him, but I can’t find him. Yet he ends up finding me and giving me exactly what I want.
Our lips touch.
He feeds my hunger.
Fills my veins.
Bringing me closer to death.
And farther away from life.
From good.
From Asher.
***
My eyelids flutter open, my eyeballs rolling back into my head that throbs in protest along with my whole body. My lids slip back shut. “Oh, my God,” I groan. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck.”
“Not a truck, just a stampede of Anamotti.” The sound of Cameron’s voice hurts my head even more, especially since it’s no longer in my head. “Plus, you fed off their leader’s death, so I’m sure
My knee springs upward and slams straight into the guy’s balls with more force than I know I’m capable of. Human or not, Alton still crumples to his knees, his face contorted in pain. Seconds later, I’m diving for him, cupping his face in-between my hands. Without even thinking, I dip down and seal my lips to his, swiftly breathing in his life. I taste the deaths of the girl’s he’s killed. I can feel the power residing inside him, the power he gets from death. I feel this twisted urge to kill him—kill other people. It’s flowing off him and coursing through me, along with the potent death omen. Blood. People covering the street. So much blood.
He groans as I jerk back with the faint taste of him on my tongue. My lips part in shock as I feel his life burning venomously through me. I start to back away, withdrawing the knife, very aware that I’m the one who took it out. I want to kill him. Hurt him. Bleed him out until he’s screaming for mercy.
What’s happening to me?
Anger burns in Alton’s eyes as he glares at me. “You’re going to pay for that.”
“Don’t count on it.” I lunge forward and strike the blade of the knife across his cheek, drawing a trail of blood.
He growls as someone slams into me and I fall to the ground, flat on my stomach, dropping my knife. Black capes swish around me as my head smacks against the floor. My ears ring while I see feathers floating everywhere. Just like in the alley.
I push myself up, wanting to charge each one of them and cause them incredible amounts of misery and pain, but I’m pulled back down to the ground by the power of Cameron. Then, suddenly, the capes shift into shadows that dance and twirl around me, chilling the air. When there’s a loud bang, I cover my head, feeling the fire on my back again; sweltering heat, melting my skin. It feels as if my flesh is tearing open and suddenly, there’s a bursting of the pressure that has built. Black feathers rain all around me and then everything goes silent.
Chapter 7
In the corner
Lives a girl
Balled up
Lonely
Sullen
Locked away
By herself
She gave up
Curling in
Like a petal
Dying
Wilting
Edges browning
Cracking
So easy
The petal fell
Scattered like dust
Across
The charred ground
Covered with Cinders
Waiting to burn out.
***
“Ember, open your eyes,” Cameron whispers, his voice hued with panic. “Come on, fight it.”
My skin sears, liquid fire pulsating through my veins. I need something; I need deaths. Souls. I need blood on my hands. I need the fire on my back to subside. I need to stop melting.
“Goddammit, princess.” Cameron sounds worried, but I can’t see him. I can’t see anything; I can only feel the aching need to feel death on my lips again.
“I need it,” I whisper. “Death… I need it.”
Cameron mutters under his breath and then he’s surrounding me, touching me, feeling me with his hands. I bask in it, wanting to press my lips against his and steal the breath from him, but I can’t find him. Yet he ends up finding me and giving me exactly what I want.
Our lips touch.
He feeds my hunger.
Fills my veins.
Bringing me closer to death.
And farther away from life.
From good.
From Asher.
***
My eyelids flutter open, my eyeballs rolling back into my head that throbs in protest along with my whole body. My lids slip back shut. “Oh, my God,” I groan. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck.”
“Not a truck, just a stampede of Anamotti.” The sound of Cameron’s voice hurts my head even more, especially since it’s no longer in my head. “Plus, you fed off their leader’s death, so I’m sure
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