Page 24 of Till Death

“I’ll be taking that back.” I stumbled forward, throwing an arm out for balance.

“Come and get it, first-timer.”

I’d heard that name before. My head snapped up to look into eyes I hadn’t recognized. The masked performer from Misery’s End. One of the Maestro’s bound men. “You… Gods, of course. You work for him.”

He took a step toward me, lowering his chin. “For someone who throws her ability to kill around like she’s planting a fucking farm, you’re not very smart.”

“Neither are you.”

He’d stepped too close. I lunged, fighting the disorientation enough to snatch Chaos from his loose grip, whirl behind him, and point the tip directly into his back, though my stomach rolled in protest.

“Now, tell me who you are and why I’m here.”

He lifted his hands into the air and shifted forward, but I moved with him, keeping the dagger pressed firmly against his spine. “More poison next time. Noted.”

I scoffed. “This is the last time you’re going to see my face until I’m standing over you for the kill.”

“You enjoy it, don’t you? The kill? Acting as Death’s whore? Throwing threats to make sure everyone hates you. We know. We get it. The victims of this world are warned from birth to stay the hell away from you.”

“You know nothing about me.”

He turned in a flash, his hand gripping mine as it held the blade. “Do it. Kill another person for your own glory. Do they keep a tally in Death’s court? Of all the lives taken? Those with the highest numbers live eternity on some kind of fucking pedestal?”

I paused, anger coiling as I stared into his furious eyes. “Who was it? Who did I take from you?”

He leaned closer, hunching over the blade, not bothered by its proximity to his abdomen, as he growled. “My brother. My father. An old woman who used to live across the street and helped my mother feed us when we had nothing. You are the single enemy of this world.”

“I am not your enemy.”

He swiped the dagger away and grabbed my throat, slamming me against the wall. “You are my enemy.”

My eyes fell to his lips. If twenty-four hours hadn’t passed, I could break the bond.

He squeezed, knowing exactly where my mind had gone. “You’re too late, Maiden. You’ve been asleep for two days.”

The gods truly had abandoned me.

Shoulders heaving inches from my face, I didn’t fear him. He couldn’t kill me. He had no more weapons to hurt me. His fingers pinned around my throat barely stole my breath.

“Are you eager now, Wife? Now that the whole world knows you’re nothing but a desperate, hateful murderer who couldn’t be counted on for one honorable task to save this world from war?”

Coiled rage exploded within me as I remembered his words from the temple. The embarrassment. The way I’d begged before everyone and still murdered my father. The single moment Death had touched me so intimately for all to witness. I swallowed against his fingers. “I’m going to give you one chance to back the fuck up, and then this is over. How it ends will be up to you.”

His grip tightened until I was sure I would bruise. “Shall I count to ten?”

Swallowing the new wave of nausea, I drew the blade and shoved it forward, barely missing him as he jumped away, venom dripping from his hateful glare.

“You’re going to have to be faster than that, Maiden.”

“I have a name.”

“I know. It’s annoying to say.”

I lunged. He spun, swiping a dusty floor lamp from the corner and swinging it at me with full force. Taking the heavy base of the lamp right in the gut, I doubled over, confident anger was the only thing keeping me from throwing up.

The impact of the floor lamp sent a shockwave of pain through my body, but it only fueled my determination.

Gasping for air, I straightened myself and narrowed my eyes at Orin. Hatred simmered within me, boiling over in a torrent of words. “Get your shit together. I’ve seen more strength in a stableboy.”