Page 226 of Fangs
“Murderer!” he snarled. “I hate you! I hope you die!”
“Wolf! Please?—”
Both of my brothers vanished in black smoke.
I sat up, pulling my knees against my chest. “It’s not real. It’s not real,” I sobbed.
“Em?” A gentle hand on my shoulder made me cringe, but I met Mac’s worried gaze. “What’s wrong?”
I knew it wasn’t real. Iknewit wasn’t real, but I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around him. He folded me into his arms, and I clung to him, sobbing.
“Talk to me, sweetheart,” he murmured into my hair. “What’s wrong?”
“Get me out of here,” I begged him, the line between reality and nightmare blurring.
“Ok, c’mon.” He pulled me to my feet, urgency filling his voice. “We gotta hurry, there’s?—”
He made a horrible pained noise, and I stared, uncomprehending, at the blade protruding from his chest.
“Em,” Mac gasped, “run.”
The blade suddenly withdrew, and Mac stumbled to one knee. All of me froze in horror at the sight ofmyselfstanding behind him, holding a bloody knife. I met my own eyes, and the horrible version of me smiled.
“No,” I sobbed, dropping to grab onto Mac, but as soon as I touched his skin, he vanished into black smoke.
One by one, I watched everyone I loved die.
I tried to tell myself it wasn’t real, but did it even matter? I still saw every single one. I still heard them gasp their last words or beg me for help. Real or not, I knew their deaths would forever be carved into my mind. They saved the worst for last, and after Zip stepped out of the shadows and snapped Apple’s neck as she screamed for me, I broke. I collapsed onto the ground and sobbed hysterically in a tight ball.
Gentle hands pulled me upright, and I tried to jerk away, my eyes squeezed shut. I didn’t know who this would be and couldn’t watch anyone else die.
“Hush, it’s over now,” a familiar voice soothed.
I cracked open my swollen eyes and stared at Talmar.
“Ember, do you renounce your defiance and embrace your sacred duty as the Goddess of Life, destined to become the God of Death’s bride?” he asked.
“Fuck you!” I spat between sobs.
The sun was beginning to rise, and the soft pink color of the sky felt jarring. Had we been out here all night long? I tried to get to my feet, but the slightest movement made the world tilt and spin. What thefuckdid they drug me with?
“Your fury is understandable,” Talmar said, his voice low and gentle as his human hand brushed my tangled hair from my face. “The visions of mortality are a harsh but necessary purification. They strip away the illusions of this world and force you to confront the inevitable death that awaits us all.” He caught my wrist when I swatted his hand away and leaned in, his eyes wide and earnest. "You want to protect those you care about? The only way to do so is by accepting your destiny.”
“Get the fuck away from me,” I hissed, trying to jerk free.
His jaw set as he studied me, a vein in his forehead pulsing, but the emotion filling his face looked like disappointment.
“Come, Ember, let us go back to the camp so you may rest.” He got to his feet and offered me his hands, but I scrambled backward away from him. He dropped his hands, fists clenching at his sides, and drew in a deep breath. “Ember, come.”
I snarled a string of curses at him through my tears. I couldn't shake myself free from the drug's grasp, and the bloody visions played over and over in my head. After a moment, Talmar exhaled sharply through his nose and moved toward me. I tried to fight him, but he lifted me into his arms and began carrying me back to the camp, ignoring my efforts to escape. When we reached the camp, he set me on the ground beside the fire, knelt in front of me, and began to wipe my face with a wet cloth. I tried to shove him away, but another Voiceless grabbed my wrists and held them firmly. I struggled briefly, but I was too exhausted to fight for long, and I eventually gave up and let him clean the dirt from my face.
When he brought me back into the tent, Roe immediately began demanding answers, his voice high-pitched with panic. Talmar answered him, but as soon as I was placed on the bed of furs, I curled into a ball. After silence fell, I felt Roe shaking me, tearfully calling my name, but I couldn’t respond. I just cried, my breath still coming in short, frantic gasps until finally, blissful darkness swallowed me.
The sun was bright when I opened my eyes next, and by the stifling heat of the tent, I guessed it was around midday. I felt nauseous and shaky as I sat up. The tent was empty, and I felt a stab of worry for Roe. Where was he? I tried to get to my feet, but the room spun and blurred, and I ended up back on my ass.
Someone stepped into the tent, and I slowly focused on Sax’s face. He was crouching in front of me, his familiar impassive expression firmly in place.
“Where’s Roe?” I demanded.
