Page 63

Memory Lane

“ W e better get moving, we don’t want to be hanging around in the dark. Not with this many people,” I say gently.

They both groan but start moving to get dressed, grabbing clothes from the pile we are laying on. I watch them for a minute, just appreciating their beauty. When Drax catches me looking he winks, and I roll my eyes before slipping into my clothes and weapons.

Dressed once again, we go to make our way out of the shop when Jax stops at a small glass stand near the counter.

Bending over I hear him rummaging about, Drax rolls his eyes and slips out the door, the sunlight streams through lighting up the dark space.

Hesitating, I let the door shut and make my way over to Jax.

“What have you found?” I ask, standing next to him, trying to peer over his shoulder. Silently he extracts something from the broken glass and turns to me. His face is expressionless like always, but his eyes are nervous. Something I am not used to seeing in him.

“Jax?” I hesitate.

He stretches out his hand which is curled into a fist, slowly he opens it to reveal one of the most beautiful necklaces I have ever seen. A tree, with leaves and branches twisting into a silver circle, hangs from a long silver chain that sparkles even among the rabble and destruction.

“It’s the tree of life, it seems fitting for you baby,” he whispers, waiting for my reaction.

Blinking, I look from him to the necklace, stunned. “You want me to have it?” I ask slowly.

Now, some might not find this romantic. After all, he did just find it.

But to find that beauty amongst everything else, to think about me enough to give me such a beautiful present, is something I have never experienced.

Hell, Dray was the first person to give me something and that was a bloody sword.

It makes sense that my deep, emotional twin would find a diamond amongst rocks for me.

Slowly, I turn around, baring my neck to him and with it, showing him my trust. The feel of him at my back should have me wound tight and have me ready to pounce, but I trust him. So, I relax my shoulders as his breath hits my sensitive nape.

“I could kill a thousand Berserkers for you, I could lay their heads at your feet for what they did to you, but it will never be enough to remind you of how deep you are buried in my soul. You are not my light in the darkness Taz, you are the fire in the dark that keeps me warm and reminds me of why I fight. I hope that even at the darkest of times, even when you can’t feel me behind you, this necklace will remind you of why you fight. ”

Swallowing hard, I close my eyes as he kisses the back of my neck before laying the cold metal around it and closing the clasp. Turning to face him, I let my eyes do the talking for me. He smiles at me before I reach up and drag his head down, so I can kiss him with everything I have.

We break away slowly, our breath mixing together. The door smashes open, popping our little bubble.

“Time to go, Mi Alma,” Maxen says from the doorway, I nod but kiss Jax one more time.

I let him watch as I rebuild my defences to face the others, he takes it all in before whispering, “Thank you.”

Turning away before I do something stupid, I step to where Maxen waits at the door.

“Nice necklace.” Maxen picks up the metal, his fingers stroking my skin. “Suits you.” He grins at me and I smile back.

“Time to lead your people.” He drops the necklace and holds the door open for me. Striding through I pull down my shades to face the waiting crowd.

We get back on the road, the assassin slumping back into his seat again.

I keep my eyes peeled and look out of the window.

An uneasy feeling is settling in the pit of my stomach, and I don’t know why.

Maybe because we are going into the fucking lion’s den with only the word of peace to protect us.

The men that are gathered there are hard and fucking killers.

I have killed their men in The Ring, slaughtered them in the Wastes, and now I have to face them with that blood on my hands.

But we have no other choice, like the assassin said.

War is coming. I can almost feel it vibrate the sands with the need for blood.

Ivar has been hanging over my head for a long time and I knew one day he would try and snatch not only me, but power from the other clans.

It’s in his bones, destruction is all he knows.

The Summit seemed like a nice idea at first, but if what Vasilisy says is true, if the Berserkers are turning on their king, then we might just stand a chance. If we don’t kill each other first.

This journey feels like the last time I rode to the pit as a slave, but nope, I have something much worse to lose than my life. Hope. That’s what my men are, plus the possibility that I might finally get my revenge.

I meet the assassin’s eyes in the rearview mirror, I don’t know what he sees but he offers me a feral smile, which throws me back into another memory.

I watch in horror as Petal’s limp body is thrown to the ferals. They tear it apart as the men laugh and drink, the noise they make… the noise of the blood spurting and the bone and skin tearing has bile rising up my throat as tears fill my eyes.

That poor girl, even in death she doesn’t get any dignity, no peace, just pain and suffering.

At least she isn’t here to feel it or see it, but there is something so wrong about her body being defiled like that, even if her soul isn’t present.

She should be laid to rest, finally getting closure, but instead, Ivar has one last torture to impede, and it isn’t for her.

No, it’s for me. Showing me what will become of me even if I escape him in this life and into the next.

Death will not bring me peace or lack of pain, I will die like I lived.

Bloody, raw, and entertainment for his men.

With the sounds of them defiling her body, a fire like never before starts to burn in the deepest section of my heart, the agony and hate of it starts to crawl slowly through my blood so that eventually I am like the flames I always escaped into.

I raise my head slowly, the tears drying in tracks down my dirty, blood covered face.

I let everything else float away, leaving that fire.

Ivar meets my eyes with a feral smile, but falters at whatever he sees there.

Because I am going to use this fire, I am going to burn him and his sick fucking men up until all that they can hear is the sounds of dying men and agony, as they beg for forgiveness that I will never grant them.

I let him know with my eyes, with the defiance etched into every bone in my body that he will pay for what he has done. With Petal’s death, I lose my innocence, and in my young body, a true Berserker is born. A monster that I plan on using .

Gritting my teeth, I pull myself back, but it reminds me of who I have become.

Of why I fight, my memories are horrors that no one should have to witness but they are the reason I am this way.

They tug and scream at me, an ever-present reminder.

No, they will never be anything but horrors, but what do monsters thrive off of after all?