Page 11 of A Kiss From Death
“And you are an annoying fly that won’t leave me alone,” he throws back.
“Uggghh! Fine. If you let me down, I’ll tell you,” I plead in defeat.
“Too late. You had your chance.”
“Please?” It comes out as a whisper. Being this close to another man who isn’t Theo is overwhelming my senses, and I think I’m starting to hyperventilate.
As if picking up on my sudden change of emotions, he gently sets me back on my feet, in harsh contrast to his brute personality. He stands there with his arms crossed, staring at me with raised eyebrows for an answer.
“I don’t know what my last name is,” I say honestly.
“Lies.”
Glaring, I take a step closer to him. “I swear on the Empress’ life.”
“Explain.”
“Do you know how to respond with more than a single word, or are you illiterate?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, you’re illiterate?” I snap back.
“No,” he grumbles.
“You could have fooled me,” I sing.
“Do you want a date with my shoulder again?”
This man is insufferable, so I glare back at him. “Aren’t you supposed to buy me flowers before a date?”
“You are my own personalnightmare, woman. This is the last time I will ask before I wrap something around that feisty mouth of yours so you can’t talk at all.” He sounds more on edge somehow, if that’s even possible.
Nyxi, what the heck did you get yourself into?
It’s so easy to push all his buttons, but I would rather not be acquainted with his shoulder again so soon.
“I don’t know who my parents are, hence my lack of last name. Are you happy now?” I raise both arms out with dramatic flair.
“No,” he grunts.
“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and gamble you’ve never been happy a day in your life, Death Reaper.” Judgment seeps from my pores, and I can tell I’ve hit a nerve there.
He ignores my comment. “Who raised you then?”
“Nowthat,we are not diving into. Strictly off limits.” I tense at the mere thought of the orphanage.
He must sense my change in mood, because he doesn’t continue to push the subject, and for once I’m thankful. We walk in mutual silence the rest of our journey.
Agiant lake marks the center of Fallout, opening wide in front of us. Each sector wraps around it in a circle, encasing it.
This used to be our favorite spot to sneak to on late summer nights. The calm blue water stretches as far as I can see, wild grass surrounding it. It’s so smooth, it looks like you could walk right across it. It smells fresh and earthy and instantly calms my raging emotions.
This place has a way of making everything else disappear and lets you live in the moment. We didn’t have to carry labels around here like orphan, spy, or Vagrant. We were just Theo and Nyxi, one soul shared between two vessels. Justus.
The ache in my heart draws to the surface again, and it takes everything in me to shove it far down into the depths to deal with later. Right now is not the time to display any signs of weakness.
There’s a small, wooden dock jutting out towards the center of the lake, where the rest of the contestants are gathered. I take ineach sector’s nominees spread out as far as the small docks allows, glaring at each other with threatening looks. Seems the games have started before the Crucible has even begun.
