Page 26 of Wicked Ties
What was he talking about? I fought hard trying to run. Hell? Demon? My heart hammered in my chest and adrenaline flooded my body. SURVIVE.
“It is our task to rid this Earth of hell demons and to stop Lucifer. How the hell are we supposed to do that when you all think it’s a good idea to turn a human into A DEMON!”
His voice carried and echoed off the walls. I flinched away from it. Trickles of blood seeped into my inner ear from it.
Matteaus jabbed a finger out toward a beautiful dark-skinned girl with braids that fell all around her face and down past her shoulders. “You!”
She jumped and squeaked. Two books fell from inside her jacket and banged to the floor. Her eyes widened and she pressed a hand to her chest. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
Matteaus nodded. “Yeah, you. Tell me what is up with my fountain.”
The fountain? The one they held me over. I eyed the water. What was it?
She tugged at one of her long braids and shifted from one foot to the other. “The fountain is connected to the looking pools. In the heavenly plane.”
“And what does that mean for us and the school?”
A woman with long blond hair cleared her throat. “It means the compound and the school are protected by heavenly power. And that water . . . that water is more potent than holy water. It burns away demon essence.”
BURNS, NO! They were going to burn me alive. Here and now in front of these people. I didn’t want my skin peeled away. I didn’t want to die. Panic assailed me.
“No!” the redhead gasped. “You can’t kill her.”
Please . . . don’t kill me . . .
Matteaus scoffed. “Can’t I?”
“Please.” Her voice was so small. “It’s not her fault. She deserves a life.”
“This isn’t living.” Matteaus grabbed me hard, lifting me higher over the fountain.
No, not this way. I didn’t want to burn or drown. Just stab me . . . please.
“Either she’ll be cleansed, or she’ll die. But a demon she will not be.”
I thrashed and kicked. He shoved me under, and water soaked me. A scream ripped through my throat so loud and hard that it burned. Water splattered all around as I fought for a single breath. My lungs burned for the air that would not come. The fountain began to bubble and boil. Steam rose from the turbulent waters. I felt helpless to do anything but drown. It burned. I was drowning but on fire. Pain like I had never known assailed my body, and I had to get out. But this was it, this was where I died. Burning and drowning at the same time.
The soaking trench coat drifted on the surface of the water, and I threw back my head, crying out. This was too much. My blood boiled in my body, turning everything inside me to ash.
Let me die. Please, just let me die.
And then I felt it leaving me. The need to hunt, to kill, to survive. There was nothing. No fighting instinct. Calm washed over me, and I knew this was it. Water filled my lungs, and I had no fight left in me. Blackness swarmed my vision and I prayed for the oblivion that this death would bring.
My body was tossed around, and I had nothing left. Burnt and drowned.
. . . Just let me die . . .
“She is cleansed.”
“Tilly?” Maze pressed his hand to my shoulder, startling me from my thoughts. “Tilly? You good?”
I cleared my throat, almost feeling the memory of drowning and burning. “Yeah, I’m good.”
But I wasn’t at all.
He eyed me for a few more moments, just watching me. When he stared at me like that with his hypnotic green eyes, I felt he saw me. Not just the outside. But down to my very soul.
“We’re here.” Grayson turned around in the driver’s seat. “You lot ready, or are we going to faff about making eyes?”
