Page 62 of Martyr
My eyebrows rise. “Torture?”
“No.”
“Blowing things up?”
“No.”
I smack my lips. “Hmm. Um?—”
“Terror,” he breathes. “You’re going to help me get Terror back into working order.”
I’m not used to fear. I stopped being afraid a long time ago. But now, it pulses through me. My heart thumps extra-hard, so much so that I wonder if Ouranos can feel it through his fingers.
He releases me and removes the bat from my hand. He moves away, exiting the bar by normal means. He returns to his booth, to his drink, and sips it idly. His gaze, however, returns to mine. His expression is sharp and expectant.
“I—” I wet my lips. My voice has deserted me.
Ouranos sighs, long and slow. “I was a patron, once upon a time. It was a marvelous place for those who needed alittle…extra. For pleasure. A fascinating concept. A wonderful moneymaker. My brother got me in touch with the owner, and I was able to invest. It paiddividends. It put me where I am today. And, as the last investor, Terror rightfully belongs to me.”
“And the part about needing revenge for your brother?”
He dips his chin. “A half-truth. Or, killing a couple birds with one stone. I take over Sterling Falls, I kill the man who murdered Wesley, and I bring Terror to its former glory.”
I turn away. I need…something. Something beyond this conversation, beyond his plans. They swarm in my head, all his words like individual bees making a collective, dissonant buzz.
“I’ve overwhelmed you.” Ouranos sighs. “Go, then. Slink off and regain control over your mind. And while you’re at it—find Kade. His leash has been far too slack of late.”
I manage to walk out the door. I keep my steps even, pace controlled down the sidewalk, and turn into the alley. I pause at my bike—stolen bike—and catch a glimpse of myself in one of the mirrors. The side of my face is bloody, and there are still bits of glass stuck to my skin.
The pain isn’t there, though. It’s secondary to the incessant buzzing.
I slide the helmet on and flip the visor down, obscuring my face.
Slink off and regain control. Seems he’s always wanting me in one form or another, and it’s never where I am.
Find Kade. My faithful sparring partner. He has no connection to Terror, but Artemis does. And Kade’s little friend, Reese… he does, too.
I don’t really care about finding Kade, but I need a distraction. Something to shut off this noise in my head. You cannot go—that’s what he said. When I asked about Lyssa. Something is wrong, and I cannot go.
I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot go. I cannot?—
I slap myself.
It doesn’t help. The helmet protects my face from any pain. I slap my head, over and over, trying to get the words to shut off. The buzzing gets louder. His voice gets louder.
Find Kade. Slink off.You cannot go.
My skin itches all over. There’s something inside me that’s getting worse and worse, and soon enough, I’ll explode. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
But then again—I never do.
27SAINT
Every chairaround the dining table is taken. I glance from face to face—some deeply familiar, some becoming more so—and keep my expression blank. I idly pick at my fingernail, and while we wait for thismeetingto start, my mind wanders back to Kade.
How he interacts with Tem is interesting. Revealing. He cares about her—his brows furrow a little when I make some remark toward her he doesn’t like. He didn’t resist the rough treatment from Jace, Apollo, and Wolfe, didn’t say a single thing or make asoundwhen they showed him his new accommodations.
But if I scowl at Artemis? He looks at me funny.
