Page 133 of Sin

Crunch after crunch sounded as London lost himself to his anger, his pain, his grief. He kept going until Keith stopped moving. And even then, he continued to punch Keith’s unconscious form until his face was unrecognizable under the amount of blood.

Over and over, I tried to fight the pain, to make words form on my tongue. But all I managed to do was make a garbled, wet noise as blood coated my mouth and cause myself excruciating pain.

London stilled at the sound and snapped his head toward me. His eyes widened, like he was horrified he’d lost himself so completely that he’d forgotten about me.

Ditching Keith’s unconscious body, he slid to his knees beside me, ripping at his weapons belt. There was a narrow, rectangular case in one of the pockets, and he yanked it out. From within, he pulled out a vial of blood. “I’m sorry,” he said, voice edged in panic as he stabbed it into my neck, letting the blood seep into me. “I’m so sorry. What did he do?”

Instantly, I felt the pain lessen slightly, and the wound in my neck slowly tried to mend.

An explosion wrenched the room, and London cried out as he tried to shield me from the debris raining down through the shelter.

Fire raced into the room, licking up the padded walls and engulfing the room in an inferno. The house groaned in protest to its internal damage, and the ceiling of the bunker started to cave in.

The fire spread quicker and quicker, eating away more than just the oxygen in the room, and setting my blood alive with panic.

“Go!” I tried to say, but I choked off as searing pain made tears leak from my eyes. No sound came out. I reached a bloody hand to my lower throat and pressed even as the pain sucked the air from me faster than the fire.

Fire, both physical and in spirit, lit his gaze. “I’m not leaving here without you, Sin. It’s you and me, you hear me? It’s always been you and me.”

The walls groaned, the fire having damaged their integrity. How long until they gave out? Because I doubted Mr. Radley built this damn thing OSHA approved.

I calculated the distance from us to the shelter opening again. But I just couldn’t see how I’d make it up the stairs and out to the front of the house before the house collapsed, even if London helped me. I’d lost too much blood and didn’t think for a second I could walk.

But even though I couldn’t make it, London could.

A calmness settled over me then, and I knew what I had to do. Even if he hated me for it.

Reaching up with a weak, bloody hand, I cupped London’s cheek. His hand folded around mine, helping hold it to his skin. Tears stained his cheeks, and I smiled sadly up at him.

“I love you,” I garbled out, pressing on my lower throat, and pain like I’d never experienced caused tears to stream down my face as my throat begged me to never speak another word again. My voice came out muted and rough, wet and almost grinding in sound. It definitely wasn’t natural.

London shook his head. “I never stopped loving you.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” I said, mouthing these words. As drained as I was, and even though I knew how much it would hurt, I pushed whatever dregs of my power I had left and met London’s eyes. “Leave me,” I said, my low, almost inhuman sounding words thick with command.

“No,” he gasped, and fear, anger, and pain warred across his face as his hand dropped from mine. My hand painted blood along his jaw as his body followed my command, and he stood. Each movement was stiff, his eyes narrowed and hands trembling. He moved one foot backward, kicking over a can of oats, and his expression turned frantic as he tried to fight my power.

But there was a reason I’d been picked for this mission. Because even as I lay there dying, my vocal cords damaged, my power was undeniable.

“Sin,” London hissed, as he stumbled in his determination to stay. His legs carried him several more steps back, past Lucas’s body, and he gritted his teeth. “Don’t do this.”

I took in a breath, one of my last probably. “Hurry. Leave. Now.”

“Sin!” he screamed, blood leaking from his nose as he reached the doors. “Please!”

He shoved through the doorway, screaming and cursing me as he couldn’t escape my control. Before he was out of sight, I mouthed those three little words which didn’t need to be heard to know, “I love you.”

I took him in one last time.

“Please,” he sobbed again, but then he moved up the stairs, taking his pleas with him.

Moaning, I closed my eyes, trying to keep the image of London fresh in my mind. Because if I was about to be blown up in a bomb shelter, then I wanted London’s face to be the last thing I saw before I died.

I pictured the curve of his mouth when he smiled, the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he laughed. I imagined the sexy moan he—

Something crashed in the room, startling my eyes back open.

Jinx stood there, breathing heavily as he gazed into the room. There were cuts and nicks all over his neck and head, and his lips were swollen and bloody. He spotted Lucas first, followed by Keith, and then me. But then his eyes landed on the body beside me.

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