Page 63 of Soul of Thorns
He’d call me a fool and find a way to murder my fated mate and expect me to understand. But... set up a trap? Have me taken by the nightmarish beast from the valley of judgment?
The manticore chuckles, low and slow. His hot breath huffs into my face, smelling of rotten flesh. Likely his food supply if he has one.I choke on the smell, and my already stressed lungs beg for release, burning. My vision flickers, my mind spins. I can’t... I....
My eyelids flutter.
This would be a kind death, I think.
The roots beneath me rumble with an amused chuckle. They clench tighter, causing a helpless cry to escape my lips, but just as I can feel the life seeping from my body, they loosen.
Breath rushes back into my lungs without my permission, and I gasp for breath.
“Such a fragile creature,” an echoing voice rumbles from behind the tree. Beneath it? Inside it? I can’t tell.
“No better than humans,” the manticore agrees.
“Only a tad moreuseful.” The voice drags out the words deliberately.
“Not this one, surely?” the manticore growls. I continue to suck in breaths like my life depends on it.
“Oh, this one most of all. Aside from our little blond pet, that is.”
The manticore prowls around me, the pads of his massive paws gentle on the ash-like dirt of the underground cove. It must be a large cavern for him to walk freely, but it feels small. Filled with smells of soil and decay.
“He is no different from any other,” he growls, displeased.
“True,” the bodiless voice hums. “He is more powerful than some, less than many. He is easy to manipulate. A complete fool...”
“Thanks.” I choke at her list of insults.
“There are many more, if you’d like?” the voice singsongs.
Something shifts in front of me, and I blink, trying to see anything. The Night Terror must be here, but where?
I jump as a sharp claw presses to the skin of my cheek, dragging down gently.
“No? All right then.”
I swallow, and the tree behind me rumbles with laughter.
“This one’s value comes because the child we require loves him.”
The manticore growls.
“She will do anything to save her beloved mate, she’s proved that time and time again. Regardless of the fact that he doesn’t even feel the same. Pathetic.”
“That’s not true,” I spit. Even knowing it's useless to converse with these creatures.
“Ahh, would you sacrifice yourself then? Would you allow her to depart from these lands and leave you behind?”
My stomach sinks. I... My breath catches.Yes, I decide. That quick. I would if I had to. But I always knew she wouldn’t go. There was nothing I could do to force her through those gates without me. Not without...
“Ahh, yes. All you need, child... is to die.”
My heart sinks. Did she just complete my thoughts?
“Would you do so willingly?” the voice purrs. “If it were to save her?”
A jolt of warning quivers through me. She’s baiting me, I know. But between the fear and guilt and pain, it’s so hard not to go there. Would I? And if I wouldn’t... what does that say about me?
