Page 38 of All Your Deadly Truths (The Filthy Duet #2)

Xeraphine

Minutes before…

I ’m violently dragged from my dream state, and there’s no doubt an external force is pulling me out of it.

I’ve never seen the light before—and I don’t mean that in some cliché way.

Every time I’ve died, there’s never been that ‘holy glow’ the Gods are said to shit out of their asses to guide souls to the Vayl.

Why am I seeing it now? The last place I ever expected to end up is that piss-yellow place.

It’s possible I’m being yanked into a nightmare because, as my eyes flutter open, the only thing I can focus on is the pressure against my lips. It tastes like clean air and vanilla. Then there’s the distinct scent of myrrh, thick and heavy in the air.

A throaty groan escapes me, and my hands instinctively grip the arms holding me close. As I tighten my grasp, the man whose lips are assaulting mine, chuckles.

“There you are, my sweet Xeraphine.”

The voice is what clears my vision, and as Alaric comes into full focus, I press deep into the flesh under my nails.

He lets out an unpleasant growl, and just as I’m preparing to pull him apart, he jerks away.

Unfortunately, my dominant hand grips tight, holding him in place.

I go for a strike with my free hand, and I’m honestly surprised he was capable of dodging it.

His head was saved but his arm isn’t, because I yank, and with a swift kick, tear it from his torso.

He crashes hard against the furthest surface, hissing a scream through his clenched teeth.

My heart races, my breath coming in heavy bursts as I quickly take in my surroundings.

I’m on a boat, but this can’t be the same one I was on.

It’s far too small. I was confined to no more than two rooms, but even though the medical bay was cramped, it was at least double the size of this portion of the deck.

Then… I smell him.

Cinnamon…

I’m rushing to my feet, tossing Alaric’s severed arm overboard and attempting to brush past him when he grabs me tight. “Xeraphine, wait.”

My fist connects with the side of his jaw, loosening his grip enough for me to pull away and hiss. “Where?—”

“NO! KAIRHYSE!”

A force unlike anything I’ve ever felt consumes me completely. I swear I take only a single step before I find myself standing beside Chase. His body is half shifted into his shark form, jaws poised to snap down on Kairhyse.

“Get… off of him.”

No… not my princess…

She’s staring at me with terror in those vampiric irises, and I swear I could bring this boat down to the depths of the sea.

I’m on my feet, already moving toward the Vampire who is fucking dead, when Sydni jumps in front of me. “Wait, wait! Listen, please, Phiny-bear. Niyla saved me.”

My teeth grind together, but I can’t tear my gaze away from the woman with brown skin and deep red eyes; which slowly lower, and I wonder— is she accepting her fate? They must have made her well aware of what was coming for her when I returned.

Gripping Sydni’s shoulder and move her aside, I prepare to sever Niyla’s head, when a tight grip holds me in place.

I turn to find it’s my princess, her hand anchoring me beside her. Her sorrowful gaze locks with mine, and my breath quickens in response.

I shake my head, but she furrows her brows, silently pleading with me to stop. No part of me wants to give in, because I know exactly what being her creator means.

Tearing my arm from her, I dart toward the Vampire.

“Xera!” Sydni’s shriek is followed by silence.

All I can hear is the pounding of blood in my ears as I stop, my nails just barely puncturing Niyla’s neck. She leans back, her skin trembling, eyes blown so wide I can’t even see the red anymore.

A shaky breath escapes her lips, and I hiss through my teeth, “I don’t do forgiveness. I’m not kind. If anything… I’m less so now. But because she asked me to spare you… I’ll consider it. Just know I can and will end you . ”

I lean in closer, her head tilting slightly downward, and whisper, “Even think about controlling her?—”

“I… would never.”

“And I don’t believe you,” I seethe. “Keep your fucking hands off her.”

I step back, and Niyla rolls her head around on her shoulders.

My gaze shifts to Brice who has his eyes trained elsewhere, and my fucking guess is on Sydni.

A nauseating feeling settles in my stomach, the realization hitting me that the two of them—him and Alaric—being on this boat is no coincidence. As if he senses my gaze, he shifts to meet my eyes.

“You’re naked,” he says, keeping his eyes respectfully on my face. Though I suspect it’s more out of fear that if he looks anywhere else, I’ll attack.

“I’m aware.”

When Sydni steps into my line of sight, positioning herself between Brice and me, I take in her appearance—shortened dark blue hair, those unnervingly light eyes, and pale skin.

My body aches for her. This happened because of me.

As angry as I am at Niyla for turning her, and at Brice for reasons I don’t fully understand yet, I should be angriest at myself.

My hands rise slightly, but I hesitate, stopping just before I can reach her.

It’s not that I don’t want to hold her—it’s the part of my mind that has always been far too dominant. The part that now analyzes every action of physical affection, is halting me from reaching for what I want most: to hold her.

Dropping my arms to my side, I turn from her and stalk away. “You.” I point up toward the cockpit where Alaric has his one good arm leaned against the railing. “You, I’m going to kill.”

Before I go further, I turn to Kairhyse, who has since got himself to his feet. He has blood all over him, but I can see that he is at least healing.

Has he fed… ?

When he meets my gaze, he smiles, and I can sense his want for me to come back to him. I want that, no, I need it, but I can’t?—

Wait.

Why can’t I? I’m no longer captive by my mother, chained in a cage at the bottom of the sea, or the girl that freaked out over his affection that put us into this position.

My step to him is met by his quick advancement to me. As though he was waiting for me to confirm that was what I wanted. His arm is around my waist, the other grabbing behind my neck and smothering me into his chest.

He leans his head down, nuzzling against my shoulder and squeezing me so bloody tight, I know he will never ever let me go.

A heavy release of air comes from him, and I can feel the ache in it. He came for me. Searched… for me , again .

“Thank you,” I whisper, squeezing my arms tightly around his torso I’d encircled the moment he grabbed onto me. “Thank you for not forgetting about me.”

His hand comes to thread up through my tangled hair, pulling me away from him just enough to where he can press his forehead to mine. I stare up at his eyes that are somber, but the smile he offers tells me he’s anything but sad.

“How in the Beyond could I ever forget about my girl?”

Warmth fills every crevasse of my being, and I take a deep breath of him. The smell of familiarity and being at home begins to sew up the tears of my world that had been torn apart.

“Can I borrow a shirt?”

Kairhyse has his hand wrapped around Alaric’s throat, pushing him down against the cushion of the bench seat. While I feel it should be me killing him, I do revel in his anger at him touching me.

“I fucking warned you, Fallen.”

A Fallen… I’d not heard of them until I got a quick crash course from Sydni thirty minutes ago.

After slipping on one of Kairhyse’s shirts and putting some distance between myself and my former place of captivity, I told him what happened in the moments after waking up.

“It was to bring you back quickly.” Pfft . Please, piece of shit liar.

Where do men get the audacity? I couldn’t care less if it was to “heal me” as he so conveniently claims.

“He’s telling the truth.” Brice groans, and under his breath he murmurs, “It could’ve been done without kissing, but that’s a pointless argument.”

Alaric just lets out a strained laugh. “Let’s be… civil.”

“Kai.” Saying his name and knowing it’s directed at the man himself, fills me with a buzz I can’t quite explain.

He turns his head to me. “Yes, little demon?”

“I can kill him, thank you.”

Before releasing Alaric, he lifts him and thrusts him back down hard enough that I’m certain the wooden piece beneath the seat cushion snaps.

As much as I loathe this man, who now casually drapes his arms over the chair like I’m not actively debating killing him, I can’t deny a sliver of appreciation for him.

I feel great . While I still need to feed to fully settle my Amoro back inside me, having control of myself again is a phenomenal feeling.

As I slice my finger open and pull my blood out, the sensation floods through me like a drug coursing through my veins. I haven’t felt my hemokinesis in what seems like forever.

“I’ll only come back, Xeraphine. Just like my arm.” He waves his hand; the one attached to the arm I’m sure Chase fed on before running back to his mommy . “Just like you, I am unkillable by Mundane means.”

My nose twitches, and I outstretch my hand to him, shooting sharpened pieces of my plasma straight through his heart.

He adjusts in his seated position, bringing his hand up to grab hold of the weaponized crimson liquid, but I release their form before he can.

My blood, now flowing into his chest, rushes straight to his brain.

Wetting my lips, I take a step toward him. “Alaric, you filthy fucking liar.”

“Ouch.” He leans forward, his legs spread, an eager smile coming over him. “Go ahead, I’ve been dying to feel what it is like to be under your control.”

Tugging on the string of his brain, right where my blood is starting to settle, I ask, “What are you doing here?”

“Saving you.”

Yuck. “I don’t need saving.”

“You did,” he counters smoothly. “Without me, your Mark there wouldn’t have found you.”

Kairhyse growls behind me, low and menacing, but he doesn’t move to correct Alaric’s audacity. I’ll do it myself.

The back of my hand connects with his cheek, snapping his head to the side and sending his white hair flying across his face.

“Watch yourself.” My voice is sharp. I have so many questions about how they found me, but this feels more pressing. Besides, I’d rather sort everything out when it’s just me and Kairhyse.

“What do you want with me?”

Alaric rubs his cheek, leaning back with an infuriating smirk while crossing one leg over the other.

“It’s simple: to keep you protected.”

Humming, I shake my head. “There’s more. Why?”

“The ‘why’ doesn’t matter right now,” he says, his tone smooth and unbothered. “It seems I’ll have to wait regardless for my reward for keeping you safe. So, you can wait for the ‘why’.”

Reward. What?

He turns his head away from me, and I glance back at Kairhyse, who has a disgusted look about him.

I don’t blame him; neither of us are stupid—Alaric wants me, and Kai is in the way.

My assumption is he is right about me not being able to kill him, and as energized as I am, I don’t have the desire to fight him, Brice, and Niyla.

Though that may change after I’m happily fed.

“Just tell me,” I egg him on. “The answer is no, and will always be no. Forever. Until I am dead.”

“Even when he is—” Alaric’s finger points over my shoulder, but in seconds, it’s sent flying across the boat as I slice it off. I’m pretty sure it smacks Brice, because he curses, unleashing a string of profanity.

I hover over him. He’s got his wrist in his grasp, clenching it and growling. “I’m just asking a question…”

“A dumb-ass question, one that has no space for entertaining. When this world crumbles into nothing but an asteroid belt, the answer will still be no.” I lean slightly, catching his frustrated gaze right at eye level. “Tell me, or I’ll toss you overboard.”