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She’s not healed.

What the fuck?

King hefts her into the air, face to face with her. She isn’t struggling much anymore. My chest writhes in pain now.

This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. She’s evil. My wife could kill these idiots with a flick of her wrist and laugh over the corpses. But Beatrice just hangs there, barely holding onto consciousness.

Am I… wrong? How could that be? We’re connected, just like all the other times. I found her, like all the other times. She’s having the dreams, remembering. She has power. I’ve witnessed it. Why isn’t she tearing them apart?

Oh good, Mitri is waking up and -

Well, that was rude. He didn’t even get a chance to open his eyes. Damn it, I need him awake to make sense of this!

“Rip her heart out, throw it into Kimi’s cage.”

No.

Not just no butfuck no!

That heart ismine!

I mean, obviously, not to eat or anything. It’s just that he can’t have it in his grubby little claws. When was the last time he washed his hands? He has GV cooties all over him! Germs are the real killers here. That’smywifey, don’t touch her! I’m not waiting around anymore.

I flick the barbs out on my wrists and slice through the metal like butter, sitting back on my heels. My trusty tail unrolls from around my waist and takes care of the shackles at my ankles. I’m just about to slice the top off this stupid cage when Beatrice begins fumbling around in the front of her pants. It makes me hesitate.

Is she turning now?

Her arm snaps out and up.

Is that one of Mitri’s guns? They work for her now? When did that happen? Is it a perk for being hubby number two’s number one spouse? Aw,Iwanna be his number-one spouse!

One blink, and GV’s head is gone. There’s no blood, and the scent of burned flesh assaults me.

King crumbles, taking Beatrice with him.

Watching her body fall in its boneless flop onto the ground makes me wince. There are a lot of broken things inside of her, and she kind of has no real form at this point. It’s all just… floppy and gross. Goodbye, fine ass. I’ll miss you.

She ends on her back, the arm with the gun splayed out just above King’s head. It’s aiming for him, but her finger isn’t on the trigger anymore. She’s just staring at GV’s body in surprise.

Like, hello, you did that, so why are you surprised?

The shock breaks down into sorrow and shame as I watch, stupefied. She actually starts crying about it breathlessly.

She cannotbe upset that the most annoying idiot on a planet full of annoying idiots is dead… right? That’s not very ‘villain’ of her.

I watch as the light fades from her eyes, and she begins to stare blankly, all the life extinguished in a quiet hush. King’s body is spasming on the ground beside her, knocking her around, and I can’t move. I’m stuck staring at those sightless eyes.

A hollow place begins to build a home in my chest. All the happy I hold inside is vanishing. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to it.

What did I just witness? Not the Goddess, that’s for sure.

This was pure… Beatrice.Chaos.Pain.

I don’t like this.

The dog wakes and lets out a cry that causes my armored skin to tighten over my bones, my tail curling defensively, and still, I can’t move. He loses it right next to me, but I can’t look away from her eyes. She has to come back now. I didn’t kill her, so it doesn’t count.

Right?