Page 26 of All Your Deadly Truths (The Filthy Duet #2)

Xeraphine

A gentle groan vibrates in my throat as I struggle to open my eyes. They feel unbearably heavy—more so than usual.

My head is slightly elevated, cushioned by something soft, reminiscent of a pillow. That can’t be right. I was tossed into the depths of the sea; a place meant for misery, not comfort. Maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks on me.

Perhaps it’s the soft seabed cradling me. The same one I’ve woken up screaming against before. That must be why it’s so hard to pry my eyelids open and see where I am.

I don’t feel the crushing pressure of the depth I should be in. That alone makes me think I might be wrong. Could they have already dragged me out? They said a month—could I really have been down there that long?

A short, sharp breath pulls through my nose, filling my lungs with air. My eyebrows lift as I force my eyes to open, heavy as they are.

The room is dimly lit, bathed in a soft, ambient glow. It isn’t harsh—just enough to see. It feels eerily familiar, like Kairhyse’s room. The dark walls and subtle mood lighting are gentle on my sensitive eyes. Even the blankets, a rich plum color, seem like his.

This couldn’t be his room, could it? Had he found me?

Just as I’m about to shift, a sharp pain crushes my chest, forcing the air from my lungs.

My jaw tightens to stifle the scream threatening to shatter the fragile silence around me.

My arms instinctively curl toward my body, desperate for comfort.

But before I can wrap myself in my own embrace, two strong hands seize my wrists, halting me.

My eyes widen, darting beyond the blanket just as Kairhyse shifts fully into view. His eyes, vibrant and brimming with life, crinkle slightly at the corners as his lips pull into that big, toothy smile of his—the one I swore I’d never see again.

“You’re awake finally,” he says in a husky, sultry tone.

I release a breath, only to take a shaky one back in.

He pulls my arms apart and shifts me closer, my body pliant, allowing him to bring me right against his bare chest. “I’ve got you, little demon, you’ve done a lot of fighting lately.

Time to relax for a bit.” He directs my arms around his neck, and once they are secured, his hands come around my waist and erase any space there was between us.

“That’s better.”

I’m frozen in shock, my gaze flicking between his eyes that hold no trace of worry. There’s an ease in them, a serenity that feels foreign, and that’s how I know I’m dreaming. None of this can be real, and the realization hits me like the weight of the Beyond crashing down, digging into my heart.

“Talk to me, little demon.” He lifts his hand to my cheek, his thumb tracing a slow line down the curve of my lips.

“This isn’t real.” The words tear through me, crushing my soul, but they’re the truth—the deadly truth that will always haunt me. “You aren’t real…”

His smile doesn’t falter, and the eyebrow marked with the tattooed scar lifts in that familiar, teasing way. “Then what are you holding onto?”

“The memory of you…” My voice quivers, barely more than a whisper.

I rest my forehead against his chest, drawing in a deep breath of him, only to confirm what I already know—this is all in my head. His usual scent of cinnamon and apple is absent.

For reasons I can’t explain, the realization sends a wave of heat behind my eyes and needles prickling across my cheeks.

“Stalking me, even in my own mind… typical,” I murmur, the words shaky yet affectionate.

My fingers thread through his long hair, gripping tightly at the roots, while my other hand presses firmly against his shoulder blade, pulling him closer.

“Your grip is quite tight for someone that doesn’t think I’m real.”

“Shut up…” I slide my leg between his, and he shifts to accommodate me, allowing me closer.

The soft fabric of his boxers brushes against my skin—a detail that only deepens the ache in my chest. It’s another cruel reminder that this isn’t real.

He was never one to wear anything to bed with me, no matter the circumstance.

“I never said I didn’t want it to be real. ”

He hums and tucks his head into the curve of my neck. “I know. I mi?—”

“I miss you, Kairhyse,” I cut him off. “I never wanted this to happen. I never wanted to ruin your life…” A sharp pain pinches the middle of my back just as a tear rolls from my eye. “You should have just let me leave that day.”

Feeling him shake his head, I bite down onto the flesh of my bottom lip. In response, I nod. “Yes, because now you are gone, and I’ll never get the chance to…”

Even though I know this isn’t real, I still have hesitations to talk about how I truly feel. It churns my stomach; even just the thought of saying the words. As if speaking them aloud will damn me, curse me to never find it, even in the afterlife.

I confessed I liked him that night, and it ended in him being taken from me.

“Why do you say I’m gone?” His lips brush against my ear, the warmth of the gesture sending a shiver down my spine. The sensation is so tender, so familiar, it almost convinces me it’s real. His fingers trail down my hair in gentle strokes, each pass lulling me into a calm state I desperately need.

“You died… She killed you.” The words come out fractured, breaking apart as a sob chokes its way through my throat. “That crazy bitch took you from me!” My voice rises to a scream against his chest, raw and trembling with the fury and grief I can’t hold back.

My shoulders jerk uncontrollably as another scream erupts, and my body trembles violently, wracked with the pain I’ve been bottling. It’s as if the anguish from my reality, from every wound inside and out, spills into this dream.

“She is crazy, that’s true.” His tone is still that playful one that annoyed the fuck out of me… but Gods, do I miss it.

“I wasn’t ready to lose you,” I whisper against him. “I’m still not.”

“Shh…” He presses a kiss to my head, and in this moment, I feel like glass—fragile, splintered, and beyond repair. “Remember what you said to me…”

Shaking my head, my teeth chatter as I inhale air I don’t want.

“You didn’t need me before, and you would work another ten years not to need anyone… ever.”

Tears flood from my eyes. “I do need you?—”

“No, you don’t.”

“I want to need you!” My chest heaves as I scream and squeeze my eyes shut. “I want to need you. Please…”

“Fight, Xeraphine. ”

“I don’t want to…” When I force my eyes open, the world is blurred through my tears. “Not when I have nothing to fight for.”

“Yourself, baby.” He pulls me close. Just enough so I can feel his breath against my lips. “You are all that matters. Remember that…”

When I open my eyes, I’m back where it’s familiar to me; the darkness of the sea.

I know what to expect now that I no longer freak out at my predicament. Though, this time something feels different. When I look down at my hands, I see they are covered in the same type of dark metal that my cage is made of. The cuffs are rounded at the top, bolted tightly at my wrists.

Oh wait… now I remember.

I’d suspected Chase was a Shifter, and it turns out I was right. It shouldn’t have surprised me that he was of the shark breed—how fucking convenient.

I hadn’t realized he was stalking around my cage. After a few times of coming back to life, the shock of where I was had started to set into my brain. It was then I began clawing at my stomach, desperate to rid myself of the abomination inside me.

He swam into my cage and stopped me from tearing myself apart. I don’t remember much after that, but I’m pretty sure I died not long after. This must be some kind of method to prevent it.

I sigh and take in a long, deep breath.

Wait, what?!

Taking another breath, I whip my head back and forth before launching myself off the seabed. It doesn’t matter. The chain locks me in place, preventing any further movement. Where I could once grab the bars, now I can’t even reach them.

Frustration bubbles up inside me, and I scream out, kicking my feet in an attempt to push myself back down to the floor.

I’m still underwater—nothing has changed, so why can I breathe?

A sudden whooshing sound startles me, causing me to spin in an awkward circle. A sharp whistle vibrates in waves around my ears, and I grit my teeth, keeping my lips tightly shut.

It’s then I hear a feminine hum of a voice, slightly muffled and echo-like. “Hello, Succubus.” It’s melodic, very fluid, and bleeds into the movement of the water around me. “Finally not screaming bloody murder or tearing yourself apart, I see.”

I blink rapidly, willing my vision to adjust to the darkness more quickly.

When it does, I can see the sandy seabed, dotted with rocky outcrops and distant seamounts fading into the blue.

In the distance, bioluminescent creatures dance in the dark, surrounded by flora and fauna—from coral reefs to eerie deep-sea fish. It feels like an alien world.

It’s now that I see an outline of something in the shape of a Mundane, but quickly discover otherwise. While it has hands, the moment its arms are stretched, there are no fingers, but webbed fins.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

As she approaches the bars, her hand wraps around them. “You can talk; I’ve placed a little friend in your throat.”

I immediately swallow, feeling something large lodged in the center of my throat. It’s like a thick mucus, and no matter how hard I try, it refuses to move.

Her long, black hair flows weightlessly above her, gracefully moving with the current. Her piercing yellow eyes are slanted like a snake’s. “Go on,” she urges, her voice a soft command. She’s close enough that I can see the sharp teeth glimmer in her mouth before she closes her lips.

“I thought your kind were extinct.” Water pours into my mouth, but it never reaches the back of my tongue. It’s as if some instinctual reflex has taken over, sealing my throat without conscious thought.

“I could say the same about your kind.”

Her eyes are at my chest, and when I follow her gaze downward, my bare breasts and body are out for her to see.

What is she looking at? She can’t be seriously checking me out in my current situation.

“You are in quite the predicament, Succubus.” She does a spin, and I track her movements. Her tail, resembling that of a dolphin, but adorned with an array of vibrant colors, flickers in the dark abyss. It’s like it has its own bioluminescent features.

“You don’t say…” Never do I hide my sarcasm, but this time I forcefully put emphasis behind it.

She grins, those jagged teeth fitting perfectly together. “I tried to break through your bars.” She tugs on them weakly. “But alas, it would appear these are from the Beyond, forged from Netherpyre. How inconvenient…”

“What do you want?” I need to die. I want to be back where Kairhyse was.

“Oh, you know…” She swirls again, and for a brief moment, I catch a gl impse of her back. A mold-like green growth creeps up her spine, but I can’t see long enough to gauge how far it has spread. “What do any of us Sirens want?”

I drop my head back, and awkwardly use my elbows to grab the chains, dragging myself down to my knees. “The answer is no. Let me die.”

“What need do you have for it?” She hisses through the facade of playfulness she’d been trying to put forth.

“It isn’t yours.”

“It’s yours to give away, woman.”

“No, it isn’t even mine.” Digging my knees into the sand, I get deep enough to where I can release the chain.

She hisses. “You’ll waste it!”

“ It isn’t yours !” I scream. “Remove this thing from my throat and fuck right off, Siren!”

A loud screech erupts from her throat as she shrieks. “Selfish! Your kind have always been so fucking selfish. You deserve to be here. Continue to suffer, filthy bitch.”

Closing my eyes, I exhale fully and open my mouth. The sensation of something brushing past my tonsils nearly makes me gag, but it’s quickly overwhelmed by the rush of water pouring into my throat.

You can’t have it…

It’s not even mine to give…