Seduction (Curse of the Gods #3)(76)

“This might be a little bit my doing,” Cyrus admitted, as Rau’s hand suddenly flicked, and the knife that he had been holding sailed through the air toward me.

I flinched, lurching out of the way as fast as I could, but Cyrus had already reached out. He plucked the knife from the air only an inch or so away from my face.

“That wasn’t nice,” he said—the words directed at Rau.

I was shaking, my eyes on the blade. What the hell was going on? I thought Cyrus had betrayed me, but there he was, saving my life. I fell back a few more steps, trying to control my urge to turn and run away from the situation.

“I can’t protect you if you’re standing all the way over there,” Cyrus told me, though he hadn’t actually taken his eyes off Rau—who, in turn, still hadn’t taken his eyes off me.

He didn’t even seem shocked that Cyrus had foiled his death-by-flying-knife plan. He was simply staring at me. Waiting for something. I moved closer to Cyrus, stepping partway behind him. If I couldn’t wake the Abcurses up, he was the best chance that I had, and if he had saved me once, then maybe he would do it again.

“What do you want?” I asked Rau, my voice almost steady despite how much I was shaking.

“I want you to die already.” It was almost a whine. “Why won’t you just die?”

“I …” I didn’t really know how to answer a person who was actually whining about the fact that I wouldn’t up and die. “I’m not ready?” I finally replied. “I guess?”

“You’re ready when I say you’re ready.” He drew up to his full height, crossing his arms and ceasing the flickering movement of his eyes—resting them solely and heavily on me. “Do you know why?”

I swallowed. I had that feeling that I sometimes got when I knew that I was about to be told something that I really didn’t want to hear.

“Why?” I finally gritted out, when it didn’t seem like he had any more secret knives hidden up his sleeves and Cyrus didn’t seem to be handing back the one he had thrown.

“Because I am the God of Chaos, and you, little girl, are my Beta.”

Cyrus turned, then, and I only got a flash of the apology in his eyes before he was shoving the blade toward me. I felt the shock of something piercing my skin, pushing past the barrier of my ribcage and searing through me with an agony that seemed to go beyond pain. It was ripping me apart from the inside out. I tried to scream, but the sound died off in my throat as a hand wrapped over my mouth. I lifted my arms, trying to fight off whoever was restraining me—but even the slightest movement seemed to twist the knife deeper, and I started to tilt toward unconsciousness.

The image of the trees wavered before me, and I would have collapsed, if an arm hadn’t wound beneath my neck, cutting off my air supply. The space where Rau had been standing was empty—only Cyrus was still visible to me, his eyes swimming in front of my face.

I couldn’t tell if he still looked apologetic or not, because the tears were blurring him out.

“Die.” A high-pitched whisper sounded, directly behind my left ear, and the arm around my neck tightened. “Why won’t you die already?”





Nineteen





Pain.

Suddenly, it was everything I knew.

My limbs felt like they were burning and my head was aching with the memory of pain ricocheting through my entire body. My stomach cramped violently, and I opened my eyes, attempting to sit up.

Everything was white. The ceilings were white; the wooden furniture had been painted white; the sheets wrapped around my body were white; and my rage, when Cyrus came into view, was white-hot.

“I’m going to kill you,” I announced, my voice croaky and weak. I cleared it, and tried again. “I’m going to kill—” this time the words died off on a cough that seemed to seize through my whole body.

Dying was hard.

Wait a click—

“You stabbed me!” I pointed a finger at his entirely too-neutral face. “How am I still alive? Was it a trick? Is Five here? Was it an illusion? Why did he have to make it so damn painful?”

“It wasn’t an illusion,” Cyrus answered carefully, “and I did stab you—but, before you kill yourself all over again trying to murder me out of revenge, you should probably ask why I stabbed you.”

I could feel that rage again, and I knew that some of it spilled into my tone when I answered him. “I don’t think the why is really so important in this scenario. I think a stabbing is still a stabbing and should be treated as such. Where are the Abcurses? Why aren’t they torturing you right now?”

“They did,” he admitted. “I healed. They’re waiting in a secure place. I gave my word that I would send for them when you woke up.”

I frowned, glancing toward the open doorway leading out into Cyrus’s living room. I recognised his secret little hidey-house. What I didn’t understand was why he would bring me here.

“Did you say something about me killing myself all over again?” I asked, my tone going completely flat. Surely he hadn’t said …

“Yes, Willa Knight. You’re dead.”

“I’m dead,” I echoed, still completely toneless. “Like … died and ascended to Topia?”