Page 58 of Killer of the Bells
That… that absolute moron. I…There were no words.
I used my speed, the thing that allowed me to win time and time again, to race up the stairs, heedless of Echo’s other traps, because I was gone long before the consequences of triggering them occurred.
I reached the beam I’d caught Echo dangling from earlier just as he flew past it, unable to stop his ascent. I snatched him out of the air by the front of his jacket and held him against me, keeping a tight grasp on him. I was fuming and choking on rage.
If I’d allowed physics to have its way with Echo, his trajectory would have bashed his head in on the wooden beam above us.
“You absolute idiot,” I shouted, seething with an anger that far surpassed the emotions the monster inside me was able to inflict. “If you’re so eager to die, I might as well fuck you to death myself and save us both the trouble.”
I grabbed Echo by his throat, blinded by the fear that he’d nearly killed himself for the sake of a game. I closed my eyesand focused on breathing, on the steady, rapid beat of his pulse under my fingers.
I kept my hand on his neck, calming myself, continuing to focus on his pulse, the proof he was still alive.
On the ground floor, I heard Fawn whisper, “Should I blow the horn now? Or should I wait?”
Asher’s voice whispered back, “Let’s wait. If we’re lucky, Vale will kill the guy, and we won’t have to deal with this anymore.
“I’m not going to fucking kill Echo,” I muttered.
“That’s annoyingly obvious,” Echo said dryly. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to breathe right now. You could at least lift me until my toes are barely scraping the beam under me.”
“Shut up. Just… stop talking.” My heart was going crazy at the near-miss, and I needed a fucking moment, okay?
“I’m going to use the horn,” Fawn whispered. At least they were being quiet enough that Echo’s human ears couldn’t hear them.
“I’ll stab you if you do,” Mavolyn growled. “I want this over already.”
“Vale might kill me if I don’t,” Fawn stated wisely.
I wanted the game to end so I could deal with my feelings in privacy, and I mentally begged the dumbasses downstairs to blow the fucking horn already.
“You were never going to kill me, were you?” Echo asked, voice gentle rather than accusing.
I refused to meet his gaze and kept my mouth shut.
Echo sighed. “You caught feelings, didn’t you?”
I pinched my lips together, afraid that any answer would make me lose him forever.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Vale. I’m not the pony to bet all your money on.” Echo reached up to stroke my chin. He was smiling, but it was a sad smile, and I hated it. “I’m sorry I was anasshole to you earlier. I freaked out when I realized things were starting to get real with you, and you didn’t deserve that.”
I finally met his gaze and glared. Suddenly, I was the one without words, and Echo held them all. What was I supposed to say that wouldn’t ruin everything?
“I… I don’t always want to die,” Echo said, as if he was admitting a dark secret. “Sometimes I feel small things. Hopeful things, but they don’t last. They’re always taken over by the dark place. The place that makes me empty and numb. That’s why you shouldn’t care about me, Vale. It’ll only hurt more when I’m gone.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” I said finally, unable to keep my peace while he said such terrible things.
“I might. Even if I allow the feelings I have for you to grow, it won’t fix things. I’ll still be broken inside. The only difference is that there will be more collateral damage if I break completely.”
There were more hurried whispers below as more fae joined the conversation.
“Can you hear what’s going on up there?”
“I can’t hear shit. Ask an air-based fae.”
“I can’t. The last one fucked off to Underhill after last night. She said she couldn’t take the bells anymore.”
“Fuck.”
